True Beauty
by V.Lee.V
Summary: Lorelai Savione has her life on track, but after a trip to Seattle to help her dad do research for his next book leads her into the eyes of Seth Clearwater, she soon discovers that there is more to her life than she knew, including her mom's killer.
1. Coming to America

**Welcome to Chapter 1 of my first ever fanfic, True Beauty! It's a planned Imprint story with a twist - a certain werewolf, or shapeshifter, imprints on someone who isn't exactly _normal_...not only do we have our favorite species of Humans, Vampires and Shapeshifters, but a new species will be introduced in this story. Keep checking back because I've got big plans.**

**Disclaimer - I do NOT own any property, settings or characters from Stephanie Meyer. However, all original characters found in True Beauty are MINE (laughing evilly)**

**Without further Ado...**

**Chapter One**

There usually wasn't anything that I didn't like about traveling. I had been that rare child on the plane, perfectly behaved, eyes plastered to the window, chewing gum to lighten my ears from the air pressure, eagerly waiting for a glimpse of our destination. I'd never felt anything in my stomach other than the nervous butterflies that signaled that I was leaving for another adventure, usually in another country.

My dad had been an art antiquate, specifically dealing in Ancient Artifacts. He was originally from a small village in France, right on the coast, and had moved to Paris to pursue an education. His mother, my Grand-mama, was full blooded Egyptian, and had instilled in him a love of history, treasure, and knowledge. He'd met my mother on an archeological dig in Morocco in his Senior year of _uni _(university for the rest of us). A week later, they were dating, a month later and they were married, and nine months after that I was welcomed into the world.

I zipped up the duffle I had been packing with all of my toiletries, a small blue bag that hardly weighed ten pounds, but could fit anything that I could possibly think of inside. It was my very own Mary Poppins bag, and forever my lifesaver. I picked it up from its perch on the bed and dropped it in the hall, next to my two other suitcases. All I needed now was to call a cab, grab my purse, and lock up. I was reaching for the phone when there was a knock on the door. Wrinkling my brow, I opened it up.

"Morning, Miss Savione," greeted a familiar, kind voice. My face broke into a wide grin.

"David, I didn't know that you were working today?" I said, ushering the bell hop inside. His crisp navy uniform was pressed to perfection, the silver tassels on his shoulders a bit on the ridiculous side, but none the less dashing on the right person. His characteristic dimpled smile broke his tanned face, gray eyes twinkling.

"And miss the day when you leave us, never to return? I don't think so, Miss."

I sighed, giving him a sisterly kiss on the cheek. I was going to miss David as much as anyone here; he'd been the first to greet me when I'd arrived in Bangkok six months ago. I'd been sent here to follow up on a dig and assess the artifacts found, keeping my communications with the British Museum and the Louvre with updates and acting as a benefactor for both. David was twenty-four, four years my senior and a kind soul originally from the Southern coast of England.

"I'm supposed to be back in a couple of weeks to finalize the details of transportation," I reminded him. "When I'm back, I'm counting on you to take me around the areas of Bangkok I haven't seen, as my _friend_." I emphasized the final word, making sure he looked me in the eye. I hated how he always treated me as someone of superior ranking, rather than a girl in a new and terrifying place.

Suddenly he wrapped me in a tight hug, a friend saying goodbye to a friend. He pulled away with a sad smile, nodding his head once. Just as quickly, David's face was once more the calm business mask that he wore at work, and he picked up my bags from the door.

"Mr. Amon took the liberty of calling you a taxi," he said. "I will place these in the vehicle until you are ready. And Mr. Amon wanted me to inform you that there is to be no charge…so take as long as you like." He winked like an impish pixie and disappeared, leaving me alone in the parlor of my hotel suite.

I looked around at the golden walls, the crown moldings, and the small chandelier hanging above the parquet floor and sighed. As much as I craved to see my home and my dad, I knew that I would miss this place. Bangkok was alive and beautiful, the streets were congested and the air was thick with rain, sweat, smoke, and animals, but it was entirely unique. I double checked all of the drawers and cabinets to make sure that I hadn't left anything, made sure that my boarding pass, passport and wallet were safely in my purse, and took one last look around.

Yeah, I was going to miss being around this exotic piece of land. But I was going home, finally.

Nearly 20 hours later, I stepped into the crisp fall air of JFK airport, the breeze whipping the coils of my hair off of my neck. I smiled in relief, immediately raising my arm to catch a yellow-green cab speeding my way. It screeched to a halt, and the driver hastily came out to stow my bags in the trunk. I gave him the address and watched as his eyes widened; yeah, we weren't exactly going to the city. I smiled, sliding into the back seat as he mulled it over. After a few more seconds we were on our way, escaping the traffic before it became too crazy.

I tuned into my iPod, leaning my head against the cool window glass as I thought about how after six long months, I was finally home. My favorite time of year was fall, particularly because of the cooled air, the jewel tones of the trees, and the warm nights in front of the fireplace I'd spent with my dad as a child.

It had been dad and me for as long as I could remember, particularly because my mom had died a year after I was born. She had been in Prague for a chance at a particular dig that she'd been following since she'd been in college, and while on her way, had been t-boned by someone who wasn't looking. I'd been in France with my dad, visiting my grandparents. Less than two years together, and my father had become a widow. But he was everything I could've ever asked for, and everything I didn't think of.

I'd kind of grown up all over the place, but ever since my mom had died, my home base at been the country Tudor in upper state New York. The rolling hills of emerald green, the white boarded fences encompassing acres of oaks, cherry trees and fragrant rose bushes. The sky was bluer than the Mediterranean, which I have seen before, and the sun was more white light than yellow brilliance. And dear God, how much I had missed good old American food!

"Ahem…Miss?"

The gruff noise startled me and I jerked up, blinking against the sudden influx of light. Oh. I must've fallen asleep on the ride here. Beyond the window sat the beautiful building I'd called home. The rickety porch swing creaked in the light wind, and the sky was the color of steel, signaling the start of a storm. A matching barn sat further back on the 25 acres and I felt an intense longing to visit the horses. The cab driver cleared his throat to get my attention and smiled calmly, as if he understood my relief.

"How much?" I asked. I paid the fare, giving him a generous tip, and allowed him to help me with my bags to the porch. He drove off down the gravel road just as a roll of thunder rumbled above. I pulled the screen door out of the way, unlocking the main door with a satisfied sigh.

"Lorelai!" came the ecstatic soprano I hadn't heard for six months. My face grinned widely as I spotted Brianna Sullivan, my father's assistant. She had been part of our lives since I was seven, and to me, was the older sister I didn't have. She had an asymmetrical bob of platinum blonde hair, piercing green eyes and a white smile that blazed as she gave me the tightest hug I could withstand.

Before you get any ideas, she and my dad, while very good friends, are not an item. Bri, let's just say, doesn't exactly swing that way.

"How was your flight?" she asked, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and leading me to the homey kitchen my mom had designed. Antique cherry cabinets, stainless steel appliances, a rustic table with mismatched chairs and a planter of mums and daffodils sitting on the counter. A cup of coffee, still steaming next to a Blackberry, newspaper and boarding pass completed the look. I internally groaned.

"It was good. I got some sleep, but I'm glad to be home," I said, relaxing into a chair as Bri hastily made another cup of coffee for me. I wrapped my hands around the mug and smiled lazily as the heat melted the bones in my fingers.

"Did everything go alright in Bangkok?" she asked, a raised eyebrow angling her face. I snorted. Unhappy dealers, greedy curators, potential robberies, and a nearly avoided lawsuit would pretty much sum the whole trip up.

"Same old, same old," I smirked. She laughed, taking a sip of her coffee. "I go back in a few weeks to make sure everything gets shipped off properly, making a quick stop to the Louvre and BM to double check."

"Six months is too damn long," Bri muttered into her mug. "If they can't make a decision the Metro should've just taken it for a new exhibit."

"Preaching to the choir," I reminded her, the coffee hot and smooth down my throat. I would die without coffee. It was a proven fact.

"Where's dad?" I finally asked, eyeing the boarding pass warily. Bri shook her head.

"Seattle," she said, much to my surprise. _Seattle?_ What could possibly be in Washington? Bri smiled at my expression and elaborated. "The yearly black tie gala, honoring history's greatest preservers and procurers? Ring any bells?" Oh, shit. Yeah, it rang a few. "It's in three days. He's staying a few days before and after to do some research for that book of his."

My dad had continued working throughout my childhood, eventually opening his own firm and creating a name for himself as one of the world's greatest antique specialists and dealers. I'd been homeschooled for most of that time; it was the easiest way for me to get an education while globe trotting as Emilio Savione's protégé. At the age of sixteen, I could wheel and deal with the best of them, accompanying my dad on digs and excavations. Anywhere from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. I was fluent in six languages, literate in a few more, and had a good ear for accents. When I was eighteen, I had become an agent of the firm, dealing particularly with communications between dealers and museums, as well as being an on hand source for the chief person in charge of the current dig.

I hadn't gone to college yet; I was working 24/7 (making very good money off of my commissions, if you're wondering) and was planning on taking over the company when my dad was good and ready to let it go. If I ended up wanting to go back to school, than I would…it just wasn't going to be anytime soon.

Dad was currently writing his third novel, the next installment of his bestselling series, so it wasn't uncommon for him to travel to do research. And apart from the gala, which I had totally forgotten about, what could possibly be in Seattle that would be so intriguing that he would want to go there and research? I kept my questions to myself, listening as the rain started to pour at long last.

"When do I leave?" I asked her, my body already growing excited for its next great adventure. My mind, however, groaned in pain at the thought of just arriving home, only to leave again.

"Day after tomorrow. I tried to convince him to go alone, but he wouldn't listen," Bri said with a sympathetic look. I shook my head at her; it wasn't that he wouldn't listen. He would've gone alone…if I'd allowed it. But Emilio and Lorelai Savione were like the feature presentation at the movies. If one part was missing, everyone would know and promptly freak out. It comes with the territory of our job description, and I'd rather not have every member of the world cultured community clogging up my phone and email, wondering why I wasn't at the gala with my dad. No thanks.

The clock on the microwave read 10:00 in the morning, but between jet lag and time zone changes, I was ready to pass out. Even having drained my cup of coffee in under five minutes, it was taking some serious power to keep my eyelids open. I fought back a yawn and lost, stretching my arms over my head until several joints popped in relief.

"I'm going to sleep," I announced, pushing away from the table and slowly trudging my way up the stairs. I debated taking a shower, which sounded extremely appealing, but instead stumbled into my darkened room, collapsing on top of my familiar, well missed bed, still completely dressed.

There are definite perks to traveling non stop. One is that you get to know the ins and outs of everywhere you go and you become skilled in the art of first impressions. I pride myself in being able to decide who a person is in a relatively short amount of time; it's a gift, really. The second is that to people like me, every time I get on a plane or train, its like a whole new world of adventure opens up. I become a part of someplace I'd never once thought about participating in. I saw places that weren't on a map taught in the classroom. It was truly a liberating experience.

I'd been to Seattle once or twice mainly as a layover stop. I had never really _seen_ the city itself and despite the circles under my eyes, I was alert and curious. My dark hair was plaited neatly down my back, my purse over my right shoulder while I held the handle of my suitcase with my left hand. This would be a short trip, so I only brought one bag.

Seattle permanently smelled like rain, but even as the sky threatened to open up once more, the sleet blues and grays were beautiful. I was used to cold, I lived in New York for Christ's sake, but even with my woolen trench coat the frigid moisture was seeping into my bones. The city would probably be like any other city; a towering fortress of glittering steel and glass, full of mystery and intrigue, but still devoid of that piece of natural life that could be found in forests that I craved. I was always happier in an area where nature was convenient. Urban cities, while amazing, weren't my favorite places to be.

"_Ma petite_!"

I turned to my right immediately and smiled so wide that it hurt my cheeks. Dressed in a warm sweater, slacks and trench coat, my dad wrapped me in a strong hug, kissing both of my cheeks.

"_Papa_!" I exclaimed, hugging him back, burying my face in his shoulder. His cologne was familiar and crisp, cedar and mountain snow. "I've missed you."

He smiled, pressing his lips to my forehead. My dad was not by any means a small man; he was a lean worker, a solid six foot with an athletic build harbored by years of archeological digs. His hair was thick and full, still the pure ebony that my own was; the only difference was the silver appearing at his temples, giving him what I thought to be a more dignified air. He had Grandfather's lapis lazuli colored eyes and Grandmother's defined, angular bone structure. He still wore the simple gold ring that my mother had picked up in Morocco, where they had met and married, on his left ring finger.

"How was your flight? Get any sleep?" he asked, taking my suitcase from my grasp. I could practically see the déjà vu. So, I nodded, walking with his arm draped around my shoulders in a comforting gesture. I was only 5'4, my dad a good eight inches taller, and constantly making me feel like a pixie whenever we were together. Other than when I had my business heels on.

"I completely forgot about this gala," I told him, watching some guy fly by on a bicycle. He looked anxious to get wherever it was before it started to rain again. My dad laughed, a knowing look in his eye. He wasn't fooled…he had known that I would forget, but knew that I would show up anyway. He looked at my relatively small suitcase and gave me a look I'd seen before.

"You need to go shopping, don't you?" he asked. I grinned impishly at him, giving him my largest pair of puppy dog eyes until a small smile cracked his stoic expression. He rolled his eyes, giving my shoulders a squeeze.

"All right, all right," he sighed. "Once we get settled in you can go."

"Do you have your tux ready to go?" I asked him, quickly crossing the street to the parking garage across from the airport. The rental sedan was parked on the first floor, a shiny little red number with Washington plates. My dad swung my suitcase into the trunk while I folded myself into the passenger side, the leather seats smelling new. A few minutes later, we were on our way to the hotel, passing by several boutiques displaying gowns that most certainly would be appropriate for the gala.

"I got your report for the finalities of the Bangkok account," my dad said, smiling softly. "Nice work. I was afraid that either BM or the Louvre were going to buy one another out and we'd lose one. And yet you split the spoils evenly between the two."

"I learned from the best," I grinned, folding my legs underneath me. "Besides, once you get to know them, they're pretty easy to figure out."

"Your mother used to be like that," my dad said. "Proud and humble all at the same time."

I hid my face and instead stared out the window. My dad hardly spoke about my mom. He didn't refuse to answer any questions that I had about her, but it was rare for him to willingly bring the subject up. I bit my bottom lip, an action I'd picked up from childhood.

I knew from photos that I looked more like my dad than my mom; my most prominent features were from my dad, while more subtle differences were inherited from my mom. I had the bronze, Egyptian skin, angular bone structure and ebony hair that hung thick and straight to my waist. I had my mother's full lips and long painter's fingers, my arms and legs lithe despite my pixie size. But if I had to pick my most unique, most defining feature, it would be my eyes. Not blue, not green, but distinctly both. The rings closest to the pupil were the vibrant emerald of my mother, but the outer rings of my iris were the same color of my dad and Grandfather.

The hotel was a fortress of steel and glass, modern and completely Seattle. Dad parked the car and grabbed my suitcase, and we headed inside, a blast of warm, vanilla scented air assaulting my senses. The art deco theme of the hotel, while not totally my personal style, was still tasteful and well done, and once inside the room, it immediately got the Lorelai stamp of approval; the beds were like a piece of heaven.

"I've got a guided tour of downtown in a half hour, so I'm leaving the card on the counter. Your card key is next to it, and I'd much rather you call a cab than walk. This is still a strange city."

I rolled my eyes. Here I was, twenty years old, traveling to places like Bangkok and Cairo on my own, and I was getting a set of rules about my safety in little old Washington State. I tilted my head to look at him, wondering if maybe he was just trying to kid around. The serious expression on his face told me that he wasn't.

"I'm serious, Lore," he said, narrowing his eyes. "There was a serial killer here a few years back, and while the killings stopped, they never found the killer. You need to be careful."

"That was six years ago," I reminded him. I had been fourteen at the time, and could remember reading about the random killings plaguing the city, until they just as suddenly stopped. I had almost forgotten about that…leave it to my dad to bring it up again. "But I promise to take a cab and be careful. And I'll keep my cell phone and Blackberry on me. Alright?"

He nodded, appeased. He kissed my forehead, smiling as if nothing were bothering him. "See you later, _fleur,_" he said.

The next time I had to attend any event in the North-Western part of America, I was going in sweats. _Warm_ sweats that fought against the ridiculous cover of freezing mist that seemed to blanket the entire city of Seattle. It was absolute madness to be going to a black tie formal event when you covered head to toe in goose bumps. Next year, I was going to suggest having the gala someplace warm…like Barbados.

"Come on, _chérie_, we're going to be late," my dad called from the living room. I was still shut in the bedroom, debating on whether to be proper and bring a shawl, or comfortable and bring a coat. Guys had it so easy; pick out a suit, put it on, and _voila_, you're done!

I decided to suck it up and go for the light, beaded shawl, knowing that I would regret it later on. I draped it over my shoulders before I could change my mind and hurried into the next room, quickly fixing my gown so that it lay right.

Dad looked just as debonair as he usually did on events like this; he wore a black tuxedo with subtle silver pinstripes and a pressed white linen shirt. He smiled when I came out, kissing my cheek.

"You look beautiful, _ma petite_," he said.

I had to say that the dress I was wearing was gorgeous; a black silk gown that was strapless and pleated on the top for a sweetheart neckline. A wide band of silver beading and embroidery sat on the empire waist, flowing down my body like a waterfall. Luckily, I had a pair of crystal encrusted heels that matched, and I'd pulled my long hair off of my neck into a curly chignon, a pair of diamond earrings I'd gotten while in Bangkok sparkling from my lobes. My dad handed me my small evening bag and we left, thankfully climbing into the warm town-car that would take us downtown to the Seattle Art Museum, where the Gala was being held.

The Seattle Art Museum was an interesting architectural feat; the pale sandstone color practically hid the title of the building, but the massive silhouette of a man with a hammer was undeniable. Once you knew what and where it meant, there was no mistaking what the building behind it was. The town-car stopped outside the entrance, in front of the, wait for it, black carpet. You would think that events like these, unless some major celebrities were slotted to attend, would be practically deserted. You would assume wrong.

Press lined the ropes, every reporter from every major journal, cultural magazine and museum in the world in attendance. Every year, the Gala was _the_ place to discover the official announcements and significant finds of the past year. No doubt that a representative from Bangkok would be there to display everything of major value recently discovered from the dig I'd just come from. In the back of my mind, I wondered if they would display the flawless Thai tapestry that had caused so much problems between the Louvre and the British Museum. Wouldn't that be a riot?

I spotted a close friend of mine, the Irish correspondent Noelle MacDuggal, on the arm of her longtime boyfriend, Egyptologist Raymond Clarke, wearing a clingy emerald dress that brought out her pale complexion and flaming red hair. I instantly relaxed; if Noelle was here, than the night shouldn't be too hopeless. Our door opened and my dad stepped out with the practiced ease of someone who had done this too many times to count. He straightened his tie, reaching his hand inside to help ease me out of the vehicle. A familiar smile, one that I always used when at public events, was plastered on my face, and I carefully leaned on my father's arm as several flashes blinded me temporarily.

"Savione! Over here! Emilio, Lorelai, turn this way!"

The shouts were over the top, the stares made me feel hot and nervous, but as I glided into the familiar role of well known art protégé, my nerves subsided and I was able to enjoy the questions I was asked and answer. I posed for pictures, both on my own and with my dad, and just took my time underneath the pitch black sky, the stars my only constant of nature in this urban, surreal metropolis.

The Gala was being held in the Brotman Forum, a clean, contemporary venue with an entire wall of glass to one side. The largest focal point was actually the renowned exhibit I had never considered before to go see. Titled _Inopportune: Stage One_, it was awe-inspiring and all together impressive, a collection of identical white cars suspended in different positions from the ceiling. Spurts of wiring came out of each, giving the look of an explosion once it was lit up. I read a small blurb about the artist, Cai Guo-Qiang, who was one of the most acclaimed artists from China, and suddenly the room dimmed; the wires began to pulse different lights, showering the room in a multitude of colors. Large dining tables were set up around the forum, draped in elegant linens and topped with fine china, sparkling silver and towering centerpieces of fresh flowers.

I could practically predict everything that would happen at the Gala; after we took our seats, a video clip would roll, celebrating our particular community's successes during the past year. They'd serve us dinner as the string quartet and flutist performed, forcing discussions amongst the tables, who were usually grouped together by random order. After dinner would come the guest speakers and the presentations of some of the more significant digs, such as the Bangkok case, and then they would award one particular person who had "Achieved the Unthinkable". Dad had received that particular award maybe ten times already.

Then would come the open dessert buffets and the dancing, until people started to trickle out and attend the after parties, where they would get wasted into the wee hours of the morning. There was a running mystery as to what after party the Savione's would attend every year; in fact, it practically became a competition amongst the after-party hosts. One would leak out that we had accepted their invite, and suddenly it was reported that we were going to twelve after parties!

In reality, we never went to any.

The video clip was played; I had a dinner of grilled salmon and scallops with fire roasted vegetables. Luckily, dad and I were seated at the same table as Noelle and Raymond, our friends Marianne and Carlos Santini, a couple from Belgium who'd I had met while at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts re-opening, and an empty pair of seats who belonged to no one, apparently, so that conversation was enjoyable and not forced. It was only during the second guest speaker's speech did the missing couple arrive.

I don't consider myself a very vain person. I did like to occasionally dress up and play up my features, and I am aware that I could be considered pretty. I have several defining features that are unique and different, not exactly what I would call stunning. That being said, the couple that sat down across from me were two of the most, absolutely, positively gorgeous people I'd ever had the chance of seeing. Not a single person I knew, or saw on the big screen, had anything on them.

They were young and flawless, both pale as sheets, but their skin such a perfect shade of cream that I had to wonder if they'd ever seen the sun at all. I couldn't figure out who I believed to be the more beautiful, the guy or the girl, because they were so equally striking. The guy was maybe a few inches over six foot, with a tousle of bronze colored hair that I had never seen before. He was dressed impeccably in a black silk suit, his tie the same deep sapphire as the girl's dress. He was handsome, that was an obvious, with straight, aquiline bone structure that hinted at Roman or Greek statues.

The girl was stunning, the same pale ivory skin as her date, but in a more classic beauty. She had a heart shape face and full lips, and though she seemed to be my own height, there was something about the way she moved that hinted at an ethereal grace. Her hair, a rich chocolate brown, fell in soft waves around her bare shoulders, as the dress, a deep, jewel-toned sapphire chiffon, sat in a decidedly vintage style. It was sweetheart necked, with thick straps that hung off the shoulders in an edgy, but classic fashion. It gathered in a pleated knot under the bust and fell in subtle pleats to the floor. She was wearing a charm bracelet around her wrist, two baubles sitting on its silver links, as well as a flawless tear-drop cut sapphire around her neck.

What was most peculiar about the pair was the color of their eyes. The guy's were clear amber, shining in adoration as he cast loving gazes at her every few seconds. When she looked up, with the same love and adoration in her face mind you, hers were a brighter tawny gold. Not exactly the same, but very similar.

That was when I noticed the only other pieces of jewelry on her; a magnificent ring, a gold oval setting inlaid with dozens of clear diamonds and resting on a simple gold band around her left ring finger, and a simple gold, engraved band sitting flush with it. Immediately, my eyes darted for the guy's left hand, sublimely noting how long and graceful his fingers were, and found a matching gold band on his left ring finger.

Married. The only word that came to mind was wow; they looked just as young, if not a bit younger, than me and they were married. Not only that, but what exactly was a gorgeous, young, _married_ couple doing at the gala? Don't get me wrong, I love what I do and these events were interesting for me because of the deep rooted passion I had for history. But these two…I just couldn't see them here.

"Lorelai? What do you think? Up for a party or two?"

I blinked, suddenly popping back into the zone. I turned towards Noelle, who hadn't yet seen the last couple, seeing as how they had arrived under the cover of dim lighting. I blushed, rolling my eyes at her.

"Sorry, love, but you know I don't party after these things," I reminded her, trying my best to treat the couple with the same respect I would anyone else. Outright staring would not be a good idea. Noelle pouted, turning her large green orbs onto my father, who was still listening to the end of the speaker.

"Emilio, you wouldn't mind if I took your daughter out after the Gala, would you?" she asked, widening her eyes to ridiculous proportions. I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing, Andrew taking a long drag of champagne to do the same. Dad looked at her, a small smile quirking his lips up.

"Lorelai may do as she pleases. For whatever reason, in years past, she'd rather hang out with dreary old me than celebrate with people her own age."

"_Papa_," I said sternly. "You are not old."

Carlos piped up, wagging his finger at my father. "If you are old," he declared, his thick Sicilian accent making it all the more dramatic. "Than _I_ am ancient!"

We all laughed, knowing full well that Carlos was a good decade older than my dad. Dad rolled his eyes, resting an arm on the back of my chair.

"Oh, my apologies! I had no idea that the remainder of our table had joined us!" Raymond suddenly said, all eyes turning to the last couple, who had been watching our easy banter with amused smiles. Raymond, who apparently knew them, went on to explain to the rest of us. "Everyone, this is the newest of the benefactors of the Third Dynasty Exhibit at the British Museum, Dr. and Mrs. Cullen."

Noelle and Marianne's eyes were wide in shock, the Belgians were talking quietly, casting curious looks, and Dad and Carlos merely nodded, a large sign of respect in our world. I could feel my own surprise on my face. There was no way that someone so young could be a benefactor of something so rare and rather pricey, not to mention the fact that there was _no freaking way_ he was a licensed doctor. Dr. Cullen seemed appropriately abashed.

"Actually, it's my father, Dr. Carlisle Cullen and my mother Esme who are the benefactors," he said. His voice sent a wave of goose bumps down my spine, soft like fine velvet and smooth like honey. But while it was attractive, just as attractive as him, I also got a familiar sensation around him. It was the same feeling I got whenever I was at a dig, a feeling of anticipation and mystery. I'd never gotten it around a person before. "My wife and I came in their stead. They send their apologies for not being able to make it."

Raymond waved it away. "They could've sent the family dog and we would've been appreciative."

Something that he said must have sounded funny to Mrs. Cullen, because she slyly hid a small chuckle, her eyes planted on her lap. Mr. Cullen grinned, a half smile that was alluring and mysterious.

"Excuse my husband's rudeness," Mrs. Cullen said, giving him a fond smile. Her voice sounded like a symphony of bells, soprano and beautiful the way a French cathedral was. I got the same feeling again. "I'm Isabella Cullen, but please, call me Bella. This is my husband, Edward."

"Welcome, Bella and Edward," my dad said with a kind smile. "I hope that you will enjoy yourselves tonight. Luckily, you just missed all of the boring stuff."

We all laughed, and I tried to relax. I just couldn't shake the weird vibes that I was getting from Edward and Bella. It wasn't that they were snobbish, quite the opposite in fact. I had only met such sweet people once or twice before. I just kept feeling like there was more to them than met the eye.

As the gala ran longer and longer into the night, I started to become paranoid. More than once I had caught Edward's amber eyes watching me curiously, as if he were trying to figure something out. At one point, he leaned over and whispered something into his wife's ear, and Bella promptly gazed at me in surprised curiosity. At two in the morning, I couldn't take it anymore, and insisted that Dad and I leave, which he heartily agreed with. When we walked back into the hotel room, he sighed.

"Well, that was quite the event," he said wryly, smirking. "I thought that Dame Lovette was going to have that pompous Richard nose permanently glued to her butt."

I laughed, nodding my head. Dad continued. "But that Edward and Bella Cullen, I've never seen them before. And they were quite pleasant, wouldn't you agree."

I nodded, keeping my concerns to myself. The Cullens had been nice and practically effervescent, proving their adept knowledge in archeology and art culture was just as extensive as our own. It made me wonder if maybe Edward and Bella were truly the benefactors after all. Something was still off about them, but chances are that I wasn't ever going to see them again. I still slept soundly that night.

**So...what do you think? Love it, hate it? Undecided? As long as you're curious about what happens with Lorelai, I'm good. Please comment, I love feedback.**


	2. La Push

_**Voila**_**! Chapter Two is now here! When we last left Lorelai, she had gone to Seattle with her dad and met a mysterious couple of benefactors...now we start getting into the good stuff...**

**Disclaimer: All characters from Twilight are property of Stephanie Meyer...except for a few certain who belong to me**

**Drumroll Please...**

**Chapter Two**

The other reason why this particular hotel had my stamp of approval? Free continental breakfast and unlimited coffee. Enough said.

I was up around nine the next morning, waking up in a cold sweat. I had been dreaming about running to something, _someone_, and away from danger. I had known that if I didn't make it, I would die. And it wouldn't be a nice kind of death; it would involve a high intensity of pain.

Let's just say that I was incredibly pleased when I found myself in the hotel, the sun blocked by the thick, patterned curtains draped in front of the windows. I could hear the sink running from the bathroom and yawned, twisting my torso this way and that to crack my back. My dad came out wearing a ratty old _Chicago_ t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts and athletic shoes.

"I'm going down to the gym to work out," he said, grabbing a bottle of water from the mini fridge. I rolled my eyes, as if what he was wearing wasn't obvious enough. "After breakfast, I was thinking about heading on down to the coast to do some more research. Want to come?"

"Where are you going?" I asked curiously.

"To the Quileute Reservation, La Push. I've been reading up on some of their culture and I think that actually spending the day down there might be a good idea."

"What are you going to find on a Reservation? Apart from whale watching?" I asked, glancing at the tourist pamphlet he had left on the nightstand. Apart from beautiful scenery and a picture of three whales breaching the murky Pacific waters, I couldn't find anything that would serve my father's purpose for his third novel. He waggled his eyebrows at me.

"That's for me to know, and for you to wait for," he said vaguely. It was a running joke that nobody knew what my dad was planning for a book until the last possible second, including his agent, publisher and editor. It was maddening.

He leaned over and kissed my forehead, grabbing a white terry towel on his way out the door. I took my time getting out of bed, flipping through channels until I found a morning cartoon that I hadn't seen in years. I stepped into the scalding shower, scrubbing my hair with the vanilla and cherry blossom scented shampoo I had packed and allowing the conditioner to soak. It felt amazing to shower, like scrubbing off the previous night and waiting to embrace the new day. I rinsed out my hair and wrapped myself in a soft robe, turban wrapping a towel around my head.

I took care to blow out every single strand of my thick black hair, watching as the artificial light caught the blue sheen in its richness. Once I was dry, I changed into my favorite sweats, an aqua colored loose fit pair of pants and matching jacket from Victoria's Secret that Noelle had gotten me a few years back. I put on a plain tank top and flip flops, grabbed my key and phone, and then made my way to the café in the lobby, where breakfast was still being served.

The café had a Shinto shrine theme, complete with a natural rock waterfall and a pond of orange and white Koi fish. Every table was complete with either a square dish of river pebbles, or a tree branch candelabra, or a beautiful assortment of Bonsai trees and bamboo shoots. I found an empty table and claimed it, immediately being served a cup of coffee and cranberry juice. This continental breakfast was different, in that it wasn't an immediate buffet with cheap bagels and packets of Philadelphia cream cheese, favorites I hadn't realized I'd missed until I returned from Bangkok.

I ordered the stuffed French Toast, apple smoked sausage, a side of eggs, sunny side up, and their fruit bowl, ignoring the curious look the waitress gave me. I was absolutely ravenous, as I usually was in the morning, and ten bucks would say that not a single piece of food would be left for the staff to pick up.

Damn. I should have found someone to take the bet.

**(OoOoOoO)**

I decided to dress comfortably in a pair of dark wash jeans, black flats and a crimson sweater that had a plunging v-neck I'd picked up in London last year. Good thing too, because the drive from Seattle to La Push Reservation was practically four hours, even without stops. I might have fallen asleep, listening to my dad's favorite classical section. Italian opera was always soothing.

When the road turned to dirt, I was jolted awake to a vision of green. Like a shot of caffeine, I was alert and awake, the nature calling to me in a refreshing way that reminded me of home. My dad saw the way I sat up in the car and smiled, looking just as relaxed to be away from modern civilization. He turned the radio down, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

"I'm going to stop by the convenience store for directions on where the best place to whale watch is," he said, starting to pass by several buildings. They each looked to have been hand constructed, cozy and well worn. "You can check out First Beach if you want."

I nodded; he knew how much I loved the beach. Sitting in the darkened sand, watching the dark waves crash against the cliffs…it would be perfect. "Sounds good. We can meet back up at the Rivers Edge whenever you're ready. I brought a book so I'll be pretty good for a while."

"Alright then," he agreed, pulling into a parking lot for the Marina. I grabbed my book and cell phone, folding a quilt over my arm at the last second; it was still kind of chilly out, even though the mist had let up after last night. The convenience store was a little ways off to the sides from the docks, so I gave my dad a hug and made my way through the dense trees, carefully stepping over fallen trees and leaves dripping fresh rain.

My first view of First Beach was one of subtle beauty. The sand was darker here, more eroded rocks ground into the mixture than in other places. The Pacific was uncharacteristically calm, its navy waters lapping lazily against the stones and shells that made up the water line. Several large areas seemed to be places where bonfires were frequently held, and I spotted a large white driftwood tree sitting further down. The perfect place to lounge.

The wood was thoroughly rotted, easily breaking off if I forced enough pressure on it. I climbed on top, laying the quilt down first and propping my back up on one of the larger boughs. I had a direct view of the ocean, and the cliffs to the right, granite stone glittering under the shaded sun. I cracked open the book, enjoying the soft breeze that carried the scent of salt and brine through my hair.

It might have been an hour into my serene morning when I heard the roar of ruckus laughter. It seemed distant at first, so I ignored it, but when it started to sound like its very own thunderstorm, I couldn't help but look up in surprise. A group of maybe a dozen men were barreling towards the beach like a pack of crazed lunatics. They were all huge and athletic, several tackling one another only to roll up onto their feet and sprint away. But it wasn't just their infectious laughter or the obvious enjoyment they got by just hanging out together that made me stare; it was that I had never seen such a group of handsome guys who seriously just walked around in nothing but _cutoff shorts_.

Every single one of them must have been twenty or older, and unless there was some shady steroid dealing going on in the reservation, there had to be something in the water. I mean, you don't just have a pack of well built, pretty much sexy-all-the-way guys running around by random. I couldn't help but wonder if any of them were single…

"Ten bucks says Paul gets knocked to the ground by one of the newbies," someone called amidst hoots of laughter.

"Yeah right! They'll be shaking in their fur!" someone else said.

"Guys, cool it," came a deeper voice. It was the man in the front, obviously the leader of the group. At his command, the group immediately became less rowdy, settling for elbowing each other.

"Whoa, guys, we got company," the person on the right of the leader piped up, his dark eyes glued to where I was sitting on the tree. A cold panic seeped over my skin as every pair of eyes latched onto me.

Slowing down to a more normal pace, they walked over to me, giving me time to close my book and right myself before being confronted by the intimidating group of natives. I ran my fingers through my hair, the familiar gesture comforting. The group stopped, the leader smiling kindly.

"Hello. I'm Sam Uley."

I smiled. "Hi, I'm Lorelai Savione. Sorry, I didn't mean to be someplace I shouldn't be."

He laughed, a deep, throaty chuckle, and shook his head. "You're fine, I didn't come over here to kick you out. I just thought I'd introduce us before you took off, terrified."

"Well, you all _are_ a terrifying bunch," I conceded with a grin, earning several hoots and hollers from the group.

Sam introduced the whole group, and I had to really concentrate to remember them all. Sam, Paul, Jared, Collin, Brady, Simon, Tommy, Andrew, Cale, Tuck, and Zach; if I hadn't known that they all had different last names, apart from Tommy and Tuck who were fraternal twins, I would have assumed them _all_ to be brothers, with identical hair cuts, deep tans and white smiles.

"So, where are you from?" Collin, an energetic youth with way too much confidence, leaned next to me, trying to pull off the kind of grin that pick-up artists mastered. I smothered a laugh, watching as two more, the twins, raced into the water to find the sharpest shells.

"Everywhere," I said with a smile. "Born and occasionally raised in upstate New York."

"Occasionally raised?" Brady asked. I could tell that they were best friends, like two parts of the same person. They finished each other's thoughts and questions.

"My dad's job required him to be mobile," I explained, folding my legs underneath me. "So I spent my childhood in France and England, sometimes Ireland. I spent a year in Morocco and another in Shanghai. I've been to practically everywhere."

Jared whistled, grinning widely. "A bona fide globe trotter. Where haven't you been?"

I thought about it, listing the countries as they appeared. "Vietnam, Iceland, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Nebraska, Wyoming, and here. Probably way more, but those are the ones that first come to mind."

Paul laughed, elbowing Jared in the side. "Eh, too cultured for you, huh, Jare-bear?"

I blushed, hiding my smile behind my curtain of hair. Jared smirked, giving me a half hearted wink before tackling Paul off of the tree and into the sand. I looked over to Sam, but he was busy talking to several of the others, namely Simon, Andrew, and Cale, who, according to Brady, were the second youngest here, around sixteen. They certainly didn't _look_ sixteen.

"Ha! Sam, can't you keep your guys under control?" came a booming laugh. I looked over my shoulder towards the trees, where another of the Quileute natives was walking out, dressed similarly in a pair of khaki shorts. He was maybe a few inches taller than Sam, and broader, but no less handsome and intimidating. He walked with long, confident strides, his head quirking to the side as he took in the situation. His smile faltered when he saw me.

I swallowed, immediately feeling as if I needed to impress this new guy more than Sam or the others. He had an air of authority that was tangible, and surprisingly, I got the same curious feeling I'd gotten last night around the Cullens. I was wary, and I had to squash the irrational fear rising in my chest and the desire to sprint far, far away.

"Like you could do any better, Jake!" Paul taunted, breaking away from Jared as the jubilation to fight subsided. "Where are the rest of them? Lost in the woods?"

Right on cue, several more people came out of the trees, grinning and laughing with one another. I started shaking, and I wrapped my arms around myself. What was wrong with me? There were three more massive guys and, much to my surprise, a woman, wearing cut off shorts and a tank top, her raven black hair cut jaggedly at her shoulder. She sneered at Paul.

"Shut it, Paul, or I'll rip you so hard-"

"Leah!"

The sharp, loud command shook me so hard that I flinched, gaining the attention of the second group of Quileute's. The woman, Leah, looked at me in surprise, shushing the three boys behind her.

"Jacob, this is Lorelai. She's a tourist," Sam said, shrugging his shoulders to dispel the sudden tension.

"Yeah, and she's practically been to every country in the _world_!" Simon said, smiling at me widely.

Jacob seemed to relax, as if my presence, now explained, was of no threat to him. He smiled lazily, and I found myself growing less nervous and flighty than I had before.

"I apologize," Jacob said, his voice deep and sincere. "You took me off guard. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Jacob Black."

"Hello, Jacob," I greeted, smiling a bit as I unwound myself. "Lorelai Savione. No offense, but you kind of startled me, too."

His head ducked in shame, as if I was his mother, scolding him for jumping out at me in a mask. "Allow me to introduce the rest of this ridiculous posse." Several people chuckled, and Leah rolled her eyes. "Leah Clearwater," she nodded in my direction, shooting a glare behind me at Paul, who was giving her a gesture that was an obvious try to egg her on. I wondered if he had a death wish, because I would never want to mess with Leah. Jacob went on with the rest, each person either nodding or waving or smiling as their name was called. "Embry Call, Quil Atera, and Gabriel Watts."

"Nice to meet you all," I smiled. After the introductions, everyone went about their business; Gabriel joined Simon, Andrew, and Cale by the shore, and I assumed that he must be the same age, or a bit older than them. Tuck and Tommy, the two youngest at fourteen (yeah freaking right!) joined Collin and Brady in racing down the beach, collecting driftwood as a competition.

Embry and Quil pulled out a pack of cards and sat on the sand with Paul and Jared, and soon a pile of cash appeared in the center as the bets got higher and higher. Leah was off to the side, pulling a cell phone out of her pocket and dialing it to talk with someone. Jacob and Sam stood ankle deep in the ocean, talking quietly. The whole scene was decidedly cozy and small town-like, where everyone knew everyone and was considered a huge family, instead of just neighbors.

With a jolt, I realized that I did _not_ belong here.

I checked my phone and decided that I could hang out at the restaurant for a half hour until Dad came in. Quietly, and without gathering any attention, I started to collect my things.

"Hey, Jake, where's Seth?" Collin asked. There was still _another_ person? Oh yeah, I was leaving…ASAP.

"On his way," he said smirking. "Sue caught us right as we were heading down here and kidnapped him to take out the garbage."

"Yeah, my little brother needs to learn to put his rear in gear," Leah smirked, rolling her eyes. Ah. _Seth_ was actually Seth Clearwater, younger brother to Leah. Interesting tidbit.

The group laughed, and I could only assume that Sue must be someone's mother, or an elder with a nasty bite. I folded the quilt over my arm and slid off of the tree as quickly as I could. Apparently my stealth was a bit rusty, because Jared looked up from the card game with a wrinkled brow.

"Where are you going, Lorelai?" he asked. I froze, caught in the act of fleeing.

Everyone's eyes were suddenly glued to me, including Leah, who was still on the phone; Sam was looking at me with a surprised look on his face, as if I'd done something that he had never considered before, and Jacob was wearing a smug grin that screamed, "I told ya so."

"Oh, um, I'm meeting my dad at the Rivers Edge for lunch. It was really nice meeting you all."

I turned around, my forced smile fading as soon as I faced for the trees. I hurried forward, wondering if it would look strange if I straight out sprinted for the woods. Yeah, probably not a good idea.

I tucked a piece of wayward hair behind my ear, muttering under my breath about what possibly could be the source of the Quileute boys' (and girl) height and strength. _And attractiveness_, a small voice reminded me smugly. I kept my eyes on the ground, watching as my shoes sank less and less into the ground, the sand turning to soil and stone instead. Just a few more paces and I'd be safe inside the forest, on my way to ridding myself of embarrassment for good. I hadn't felt this self conscious since I was fifteen, and let me tell you, I was in no hurry to revisit _that_ lovely time of my life.

Please note the sarcasm, would you?

Because I was staring at my feet, it was inevitable that I would run into something. By the time I realized this, it was too late, and I suddenly found myself knocking into some kind of boulder. And damn did it hurt!

I dropped my quilt and book, my forehead throbbing in pain as I lost my balance and started falling backwards. I braced for impact, so to speak, not really looking forward to the butt-bruise I most certainly was going to have in the morning. I just couldn't believe that I had been so dense as to not realize I was walking right into a rock!

About a second or two before I should've hit the ground, I was enveloped in heat. The chill that had seeped into the marrow of my bones melted away, and the goose bumps covering every inch of my body all together disappeared. I was basking in the blessed warmth when I realized I hadn't hit the ground yet, and that the source of the heat was coming from the two long, muscular arms wrapped around my torso, keeping me precariously close to the ground.

My eyes flew open, and while I subconsciously realized that I hadn't known they were closed in the first place, I was too entranced with the owner of those two arms. He was gigantic, maybe six foot four or five, broad across the shoulders, and covered in warm russet skin, pulled taught over well defined tendons and muscles. His short hair was an inky black, not quite as blue-black like my own, and his eyes were the deepest shade of dark chocolate I had ever seen. He had a strong, square jaw, which was hanging wide in shock, and a sharp defining nose. Those amazingly chocolate eyes were wide and shining in something I didn't understand, and the entire expression on his face…

It was as if he were a blind man seeing the sun for the first time.

My hands were clutching his forearms of their own accord, a self preservation instinct that had kicked in as I fell and was caught. The man holding me suddenly lost his star struck expression, realizing that I was about an inch from the ground and at a very awkward angle. He straightened up so fast that I lost my sense of equilibrium, stumbling against him as my vision realigned itself.

My brain chose that moment to start working again, which was both a good and bad thing. It was good, because I took a deep breath of air and started functioning on my own again. It was bad, because when I inhaled, I noticed that the guy was shirtless, wearing only a pair of denim cutoffs that rode low on his hips, and that he smelled good…really, _really_ good. Cinnamon and sea spray and juniper wood.

My cheeks flamed in embarrassment and I untangled myself from him as quickly as I could, taking four steps back and wrapping my arms around myself at the sudden burst of chill. I had forgotten how cold it was. His arms were still extended out, and he looked like he wanted to come closer and shelter me from the cool air, which did sound very appealing.

What was so odd was the fact that our eyes were locked on one another, and even if I had wanted to tear my gaze away from him, which, let's face it, I didn't, I couldn't have. And from the looks of it, it seemed to be the same for him. We stood there staring at each other for what felt like hours, but in reality was only a few more seconds. It wasn't until I heard footsteps and the snapping of a branch that I was snapped out of the trance, quickly looking over my shoulder. The Quileute boys had gathered into a large group, curious at the spectacle.

A few of the guys had knowing looks masking their expressions, as if they completely understood what was happening right now. Surprisingly, Paul, who I expected to be doing something immature and stupid, had a soft smile on his face, and for the first time, I wondered if maybe there were more sides to these natives than I originally thought.

Sam and Jacob moved forward through the group, Jacob taking the lead almost immediately. Was that a mild tone of irritation I saw on Sam's face? Probably not, since now he was staring openly at someone other than me and Mystery Man. I followed his line of vision and balked.

Leah.

Her eyes were wide, snapping from Jacob to M.M. to me and back around the circuit. There was no hostility in the way she held her open mouth, but she was shaking, quivering violently, as if she'd gotten way too cold. Sam took a step toward her, but her hand shot up so quickly that I blinked. Without any warning, her black eyes were up and narrowed, glaring in cold fury at me.

I staggered back, an instinct of fear, of run or be killed, coursing through my veins. I didn't take a single step back when I collided with someone. The sudden heat that was like a soothing balm to my frazzled nerves could only mean one thing. I glanced over my shoulder and saw only bare, tanned skin; Mystery Man was right behind me.

Leah was still shaking, her eyes glued on me, the tendons of her arms flexing over her balled fists. I knew that I would never want to be against Leah in a fight after spending five minutes with her. And without realizing her, I'd promoted myself to her enemy.

_Great job, Lore_, I chastised myself. She was shaking so hard that I thought she would burst, and I cowered back against M.M., leaning into his rock hard body for support. His left arm snaked around my waist, the right wrapping around the front of my shoulders as he pulled me closer. I couldn't see his face but I could feel the tension in him and wondered if maybe he was nervous about Leah too. For whatever reason, I knew without a doubt that I was safe with him, despite not knowing anything about him, including his name. I watched warily as Jacob moved forward, calm and assured. At least somebody was.

"Leah," he warned, his deep voice low. He was treading dangerous waters, and he knew it.

The Quileute woman ignored him, taking a step forward. Like clockwork, the boys moved, several of the younger ones flanking either Sam or Jacob; Quil and Embry moved to the wings behind Leah, ready to grab her if need be, while Paul and Jared moved in front of me, blocking her direct path.

"Leah, don't do this."

The first time that I ever heard his voice, I hadn't exactly been planning on hearing him say another woman's name. But I really didn't care exactly what he said, so long as he just kept talking. His voice, like the rest of him, was perfect, a rich timbre that hinted at the slightest of accents, making me wonder if he was bilingual. It was husky and soft, but no less intimidating when used the right way.

Sam was speaking in hushed tones to Leah, desperately trying to convey something to her. Finally, her eyes lifted from where I stood and she nodded, turning on her heel and sprinting back into the forest, from where she came. I released the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding, and simultaneously the situation relaxed. Jacob was looking back over to me with a sympathetic smile on his face, and I tried smiling weakly back at him.

"Well," Mystery Man said, startling me with how close his voice was. His breath was tickling my ear. "That's not exactly the way I thought my sister would react."

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. His _sister_? But, that would mean that…Mystery Man was Seth Clearwater! I blinked, wondering why I was getting sudden sun spots in my vision. With a shake of my head to clear my eyes, I fell into darkness.

**So? Welcome to La Push! What did you think? Curious about Leah's reaction? What about the way Jacob acted when he first met Lorelai? Chapter Three is on the way...**

**Oh! And please comment! :)**


	3. Intrigue

**_Bonjour, mes amies_! I promised that I wouldn't keep you waiting very long, didn't I? I'm taking a multi-approach for Chapter 3, starting with Jacob's Point of View before picking up where we left off...**

_**Avec plaisir**_**...**

**Chapter Three**

**Jacob POV**

I needed to stop letting Nessie braid my tail. It seriously hurt, and while I adored the blue silk bows she'd tied into it, I couldn't help but yelp when they were caught on a bush's thistle and tugged painfully. I stretched, flexing my nails and watching as they scraped the dirt beneath their ridges. My ear cocked to the right, the sound of galloping paws announcing the arrival of my pack.

'_Sup Jake?_ Seth was panting, his tongue lolling outside of his mouth, his bushy tail wagging gently. _How's Ness?_

_She's good._ I didn't elaborate further, wiping my muzzle with a swipe of my paw.

_What he means to say is that he was her dress up doggie,_ Quil piped up, trotting through the trees, wheezing in laughter.

_Again_, Embry amended, shrugging his shoulder into Quil. I silenced them with a look, sniffing the air for my Beta.

_Where's your sister?_ I asked Seth, sitting down on my haunches. The guys mirrored me, watching me pensively. We'd been running together for six years now, and even without the telepathy, we could communicate effectively. We were more coordinated than the La Push Pack, that was for sure.

Quil and Embry laughed, shaking their heads in synchronization.

_She's teaching Gabriel a lesson in manners,_ Seth said, and I watched the scene from his eyes.

Gabriel was a young wolf, sixteen, who'd phased during the Volturi encounter six years back. He'd taken a liking to the Cullens, and switched over to my pack instead. It was just as well, since Sam still had the six other sixteen year olds, as well as the youngest two, Tuck and Tommy, who'd phased when a pair of nomads came wandering a few months ago. Not to mention Collin and Brady. He had enough on his plate.

Leah came trotting out of the woods, her sleek gray fur rippling in agitation. She took her place next to me, sitting back on her haunches and glaring at the spot in the woods where a dejected looking mottled brown wolf came out.

_Jesus, Gabe, haven't you learned anything yet?_ Embry asked, rolling his eyes. The wolf glared at him, favoring his right paw.

_Enough guys,_ I said, trying to sound like a mighty Alpha. Leah snorted; she had been the only one to hear that last part. I ignored her and continued. _We're heading down to the beach for a barbecue. The girls are preparing dinner, and we're going to hang out with our brothers._

_Alright!_ Quil yelped, his tail wagging excitedly. _Werewolf bonding time!_

Seth rolled his eyes. With a nod I took off for the trees, my pack falling into rank behind me. The wind felt cool and refreshing through my fur, the dirt soft and supple beneath my paws. The wolf in me howled in freedom, a song chorused by the five other wolves. The sweet stench of the Cullens gradually faded, instead trading in for the cedars, grass and animals of the forest.

I could smell the line where the treaty had held force for so many decades, but no longer applied. Feeling a bit reckless, I opted to clear the ravine, gathering my strength in my hind legs and springing from the edge into the air. The feeling of weightlessness was incredible, and over much too soon. My paws hit the ground on La Push territory and kept pulling faster.

_Damn it, Jacob!_ Leah cursed. I watched from her eyes as the rest skidded to a stop, unsure of making the distance. Hey, I said that I was being reckless!

I laughed, leaving my pack to catch up with me. I was too focused on the salty brine on the wind, the sound of the Pacific crashing against the stones. I could catch the scent of humans and oil off to the right, but on the beach, nothing but wolves. I checked my Alpha connection to see if Sam was phased, but heard his voice on the beach. Human form then.

I stopped with the tree line as cover, feeling the shutter of bones shifting from four to two. I threw my head back, shaking out my hair, and pulled the jeans from the black cord around my ankle and onto me instead. Leah and the guys were close behind, and I caught the end of Sue Clearwater guilt tripping her son into helping her take out the trash. Aw, poor guy. He needed to be faster!

I took the liberty of announcing our arrival, stepping out of the trees with a smile on my face. Despite everything, I still loved the rez, and the beach especially. It seemed as if time never touched First Beach, right down to the driftwood tree where I had first talked to Bella all those years ago. The guys were scattered around, and I noticed that Paul and Jared were wrestling in the sand, as per usual.

"Ha! Sam, can't you keep your guys under control?" I yelled, smiling when the other Alpha laughed. Several heads turned in my direction, including one that should definitely not be there.

My eyes were glued to the driftwood tree, taking in the woman sitting there. She had dark hair, blacker than night, and tanned skin that was more bronze compared to ours. Her eyes, blue and green, were wide, taking in the newcomer; aka, Me.

My head tilted to the side, and I sniffed the air. Most likely, she was a tourist, or somebody's cousin, no big deal. But when I caught the scents, the unique ones that I knew by heart but which each held that subtle hint of earth and cedar that signaled werewolf, I couldn't smell human. Scratch that; there _wasn't_ any human here.

The girl looked petrified of me, and I realized that I was glaring at her. She wasn't wolf, but I couldn't smell what she was. I had always been able to pick a human out of crowd of wolves; it was a training exercise that we schooled the younger wolves with. All I caught was vanilla, honeysuckle, and orange blossom. Some weird perfume, maybe?

"Like you could do any better, Jake!" Paul taunted, breaking away from Jared. I hardly paid attention to him. "Where are the rest of them? Lost in the woods?"

Right on cue, my ears picked up the sounds of footsteps, and I thanked the Spirits that Leah had enough sense to order the guys to phase. I didn't know who or what this girl was, but if Sam wasn't in wolf form, we shouldn't be either. Leah came striding out to stand next to me. Her lip curled back and a low growl only our ears could detect escaped her throat as she sneered at Paul.

"Shut it, Paul, or I'll rip you so hard-"

"Leah!" I stopped her, the command ringing through my voice so hard that it literally choked her mid sentence. Her eyes flashed once from initial fury to a questioning glance. I generally didn't try to holster down my pack with Alpha choke-holds. But I was too on edge to worry if she might let something slip.

"Jacob, this is Lorelai. She's a tourist," Sam said, shrugging his shoulders. I knew what that gesture meant; There is no threat here.

"Yeah, and she's practically been to every country in the _world_!" Simon said, smiling at the girl widely. Great…the last thing we needed was Simon to be pining over someone. He was already a bit unpredictable with phasing as it was.

I tried to relax, rolling my shoulders back and sending the tension to my feet and hands instead. I smiled at the girl, watching as she sighed in relief. It was like she knew what to anticipate if I felt threatened.

"I apologize," I said sincerely. "You took me off guard. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Jacob Black."

"Hello, Jacob," she greeted, smiling a bit. Her voice was crystal clear and soft, not quite like a human's but nowhere near the severe perfection of a vamp. Somewhere in between. "Lorelai Savione. No offense, but you kind of startled me, too."

My head ducked in shame, and I attempted to try and lull her into a security. Whatever she was, she wasn't out to kill me, or my pack mates. Now, I was simply curious. "Allow me to introduce the rest of this ridiculous posse." Several people chuckled, and Leah rolled her eyes. "Leah Clearwater." Leah nodded, glancing at me with a brief moment of hesitation that nobody else picked up. My head tilted slightly, enough for her to understand that things were alright. I went ahead and introduced the rest of the guys, allowing Lorelai to gain her bearings.

"Nice to meet you all," she smiled.

And just like that, everyone dispersed, moving on to tend to their own affairs. I smiled once at Lorelai, quickly striding over to stand by Sam. My hands were burrowed in my pockets, and I stepped into the cold ocean water, the sea spray against my face.

"What was _that_ about?" Sam asked, his voice low so that only I could hear. I appreciated the need for secrecy, and kept my voice hushed.

"_Who_ the hell was that, is more like it," I told him, my eyes on the horizon. Sam scoffed, giving me a patronizing look.

"The girl? She's a tourist. She's here for the day, nothing more. She's nothing to get worked up over."

I gave him a look of my own, wondering if he ever used his nose anymore.

"What do you smell?" I asked, glancing at him. He sighed.

"You're not going to explain this until I sniff, right?" I nodded, watching his face intently as he inhaled the aromas. I watched as he processed through everything; beach, wolves, trees, flowers…no human. His black eyes opened in confusion, looking at me.

"You don't smell her, do you?" I prompted.

"It's probably just all of us overwhelming her," he reasoned, rocking back onto his heels. I snorted.

"You know as well as I do that that is a load of bull," I said. "She's not human."

"What having you been hunting?" he laughed, shaking his head. "Of course she's human! She's not vamp or wolf. What else is there?"

"My point exactly."

Sam looked at me like I was small child again, and I had to bite back the growl in my throat. We both knew who, if it came down to it, was more dominant, and I'd much rather not fight with him.

"Jake, Lorelai is a normal girl, who just happened to be here today, reading a book," he said. "Nothing more."

A call brought us out of our little meeting.

"Hey, Jake, where's Seth?" Collin asked. I smirked, glimpsing Leah grin a rare smile. It was gone before anyone could see how much she genuinely cared about her little brother.

"On his way…Sue caught us right as we were heading down here and kidnapped him to take out the garbage."

They started laughing and I turned back towards the water.

"I don't know Sam," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "There's something not right about her. She seems nice enough, but,"

"But nothing, Jacob." Sam was getting annoyed, and he clenched his hands together, behind his back. His usually stoic face was a mask of irritation. So much for the immovable Samuel Uley.

"Where are you going, Lorelai?" Jared asked. Sam and I whirled around simultaneously, and I saw that the girl was only a few feet from the woods, a good distance away from the rest of us. If she were human, I would've been able to hear her for sure; if she had been a vamp or wolf, I would've heard her. And yet, she'd almost left without making a single sound. Sam looked like he had crapped himself and I smirked, knowing full well that he knew that I was right. Lorelai Savione was not human.

She made up some excuse and turned away, even still her footsteps completely silent. What was more startling was when she stepped onto a patch of dried leaves, which should've crunched under her shoes, and yet there was still no sound. Sam and I exchanged a glance, and that's when the wind shifted, and I got a waft of sunshine, cinnamon, and wolf. Seth was finally here.

A football went flying from the trees, knocking into Quil with intense precision that sent him sprawling on his butt. I chuckled at my pack brother's expression. Seth eased out of the trees, dressed with the uniform of jeans and his ever present smile. Nothing could deter that kid, even chores with Sue. He was always happy, something that was appreciated in low times of pack morale.

Quil was getting ready to throw the pigskin back, with more brute force than really necessary, but stopped. We all watched as Lorelai walked smack into Seth, dropping her things and falling back. Seth should've been able to hear or smell her if nothing else, just more proof of what I'd been saying moments before. I opened my mouth to say something to Sam and stopped in shock. It only happened in a few seconds, but to me, it seemed like an eternity as he caught her in surprise, suddenly looking down at her with an expression that coursed through my veins like ice. No, no, no, no….

Things were about to get a whole lot more interesting around here.

**(OoOoOoOoO)**

**Lorelai POV**

I was warm. Not exactly burning up, but wrapped in a soft blanket kind of warm. I snuggled deeper into the soft texture beneath me, sighing in contentment. I could hear several murmured voices from somewhere other than where I was, and the sound of the ocean and seagulls. Funny…I didn't remember the hotel being near the beach.

My eyes shot open so fast that I physically revolted, tucking my head under the sheets to escape the light. A window was open, bringing in the sun and the sound of the waves, and I cautiously peeked out from my cocoon.

The room was made of warm teak colored wood, both the walls, ceiling and floor. Several foreign rugs scattered around the room, and a hand stitched quilt was hanging on the wall on display. There was a book case, which had more knick-knacks than reading material on its shelves, and a matching desk and chair. I spotted a computer and an iPod dock, as well as several pairs of jeans thrown around carelessly. Something about this room screamed masculine, but when I looked down at myself, wrapped carefully in a comforter and a crimson and tan quilt, I realized that wherever I was, there was certainly a woman's touch.

I turned on my side, my head cradled on the pillow, and breathed deeply, trying to calm my nerves before I did anything else. When I breathed, I could smell the cinnamon, sea spray and juniper wood of the room's owner. I knew that scent. Without thinking about it, I buried my face into Seth Clearwater's pillow, trying to memorize the way he smelled, even when I knew I would never forget it. The voices were coming from outside the door, which was closed, and I decided to get up. All I could remember was going to First Beach, meeting the Quileute boys, and leaving…

I gasped as it all came rushing back to me, leaving me with a pounding headache. I clutched my head with my hands, panting. When the ache dulled, I looked out the window, noticing the height of the sun and realizing that it hadn't been that high when I had been leaving the beach.

I flung the sheets off and placed my feet on the cool wooden floor, fighting against the head rush as I stood up. My shoes were missing, and I was uncomfortable in the jeans and sweater I was wearing after sleeping in them. I looked around Seth's room and wandered over to the sliding doors of his closet. I felt a little bit like I was invading his privacy, but I needed something to wear.

There really wasn't much in there. Mostly jean and khaki shorts, two pairs of dress pants, and a smattering of shirts. There was a striped long sleeved shirt made of a soft, dark green cotton and five sizes larger than me, and a pair of shorts that looked like they belonged to a girl. I tried not to let that little bit bug me as I changed out of my jeans and into the shorts, buttoning the shirt up with nimble fingers. The shirt drenched my form, the hem hitting me in the middle of my thighs, which were bare thanks to the ridiculous length (or lack thereof) of the shorts.

I caught a glimpse of myself in Seth's mirror and I choked back a giggle. My hair was a wild mass of raven black waves, and with the oversized shirt covering the teeny tiny shorts, I looked like I had just woken up from a one-night stand with a random guy I'd met at a bar. I bit my lower lip and rolled my eyes at the reflection in the mirror; at least I felt more comfortable.

I opened the door and slowly treaded out into the hallway. I could hear the hushed voices floating up from the floor below, and I carefully made my way down the stairs, taking in the home photos hanging on the walls. A large painting of a wolf howling with the full moon as a backdrop grabbed my attention, and I would've spent some time observing it had I not heard the voices escalate. The sound of a frying pan sizzling and plates clinking made me immediately think of the kitchen, and I followed the scent of bacon through the house. The kitchen was cheery and old world, with a homey touch in the handmade seat cushions. It was also packed with people.

I spotted the Quileute boys I had met scattered around, either perched at the island counter, the kitchen table, or on the sofa in the living room; there were several women here as well, usually with an arm around a particular guy. Leah was with an older woman at the stove, shoveling out food faster than a diner cook. I stood in the entryway, taking in the scene, when someone whistled, long and low. I looked to the left and saw a smirking Brady on the couch, waggling his eyebrows.

Everyone in the close proximity had their eyes on me, and I squirmed under their uncomfortable attention. But like a magnet, my eyes went directly to the form standing next to Jacob. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a light gray t-shirt, standing out against the bare chests in the room. His dark chocolate eyes were locked onto mine with such an intensity, that a knot of nerves built into my stomach. Quickly, they moved from my toes to the top of my head, and I felt a shiver rack up my spine.

Seth.

"Um, guys, let's head out back," Jacob said, smiling at me kindly. Without hesitation, everyone left the kitchen, including Leah and the woman, who was smiling at me widely. When the back door closed, it was just Seth and me. Funny how this guy, after knowing him for all of five minutes, could have this affect on me.

"Sorry," I said, the first thing springing to mind. "I didn't have anything else to wear."

"You don't ever have to apologize to me," Seth said, his deep voice husky. "Especially about wearing my clothes." I bit my bottom lip, blushing profusely.

"Where am I?" I asked. Seth ran his hand through his hair, suddenly embarrassed. It was really adorable and cute.

"My house," he finally said, looking at me. "You kind of passed out and I brought you back here. A friend of mine is a doctor, and he checked to make sure you were alright. He suggested just letting you sleep it off. How are you feeling?"

I smiled, leaning against the doorway. "Better. Thanks."

He beamed, his smile like a kid's on Christmas morning. I felt the urge to wrap my arms around him and had to hold back, wondering if maybe I was going a bit crazy. I mean, Seth was an acquaintance, if nothing else. Technically, I'd known Sam Uley longer. So why did I feel as if I'd known him my whole life?

"How long was I out?" I asked him, watching curiously as he walked over to the counter to examine the food his sister had been preparing. In reality, he'd just taken one step closer to me.

"Almost a day," he said, taking subtle steps that brought him closer. My heartbeat increased.

"A _day_!" I shrieked. Seth sensed my panic and made no illusions to come closer. His arms were around me in an instant, his lips at my ear as he absorbed my shaking limbs.

"Shh, it's alright," he whispered, his heat melting into my bones. Of their own accord, my arms wrapped around his waist, and my face buried into his chest. I relaxed into his embrace, the sound of his heart beating in a steady rhythm under my ear. "I found your phone, and when your Dad called, I explained everything to him. He was a bit, thrown, I guess is the right word, when a random guy answered, but it just so happened that my mom was at the diner at the time when he called. She brought him over."

I sighed; at least my dad knew where I was and that I was safe.

That's when I realized that, I really did feel _safe_. I'd never been given a reason to not feel safe before, but with Seth so close, I knew for a fact that he would protect me, no matter what. You would think that that would be a difficult concept to grasp when it involves someone you hardly know, but I had no qualms about accepting this. Because, somewhere deep in my gut, I knew that it was true.

Seth stroked my hair, humming a soft melody and just holding me. It sounded like a lullaby; sweet, haunting, and beautiful. I wondered if he could sing, and what it would sound like with his rich timbre. I found myself wondering a lot about Seth, everything from how old he was, to what his favorite color was, to whether he preferred Italian to Greek food. Things that were trivial but which now seemed very important for me to know.

Against my body's wishes, I pulled away, taking a step back to get some air. Seth tucked his hands into his pockets, unable to hide his disappointment. I cleared my throat, ducking my eyes to the side so that his eyes wouldn't sear into mine.

"Uh, I think that I should introduce myself," I said lamely. A small smile quirked his full lips and he nodded for me to continue. "I'm Lorelai Savione."

I stuck my hand out, trying to make this as less awkward as was humanly possible. It just felt, I don't know, inconsequential to be introducing myself to Seth, after it felt like he knew me better than anyone else in the world. Better than my dad, or Noelle, or Bri ever would.

Seth gently took my hand in his large one, his skin warm and roughed with calluses across his palm. I wanted to melt right into him, to look up into his eyes and run my fingers through his hair. I wanted to hear him laugh and to see him smile and to know every little thing I could about his life. I'd always been an independent person, my job required me to be on the go 24/7, with little to none attachments to leave behind. But I would happily suffer a bit if I could spend time with Seth.

"Seth Clearwater," he said, smiling down at me. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by a cell phone ringing. Particularly, _my_ cell phone, which was freaking out on the kitchen counter, next to my book and folded quilt I had completely forgotten about.

I tried to pull my hand from Seth's grasp, but his fingers tightened around mine, as if he had no intention of letting go. I smiled shyly and just tugged him along, reaching with my other hand to answer my phone. It was my Dad.

"_Papa_," I breathed, sounding like I'd just run a marathon.

"Lorelai? You're up?" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, I just woke up a few minutes ago. I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened yesterday-"

"_Non, ma petite_," he interrupted. "You have nothing to apologize for. The doctor explained to Mrs. Clearwater that you were dehydrated and passed out, and that you would be fine with some rest."

My brow wrinkled in confusion. I knew why I passed out, I was overwhelmed, not dehydrated. What kind of crack doctor was this? I opened my mouth to correct him, when I felt Seth's arm snake around my waist, his chest pressing into my back. With that distraction, I promptly forgot what I was going to tell my father.

"Lore, are you listening?" I blushed, biting my lower lip.

"No," I admitted. He laughed.

"I'm in Port Angeles picking up some sources for my book, but I'll be back by six. I'll pick you up and we'll head back to the hotel."

"What?" I asked, a confused haze settling in as Seth started playing with my hair. Dad sighed, and I could visualize him shaking his head at me.

"Our flight is tomorrow morning, don't you remember?"

I blinked, surprise coloring my face. Leaving? _Tomorrow_? Seth stiffened behind me, pulling me tighter against him, and I wondered if he had heard what my dad had said. I swallowed the lump in my throat dryly, suddenly needing to get off the phone with my dad.

"Oh, right, well I'll see you tonight then," I said hurriedly.

"Lorelai, are you alright?" he asked suspiciously. Damn the fact that my dad knew me like the back of his hand.

"Well, do you know where I am?" I asked, settling for a neutral answer.

"If you're still at that young man's place, than yes," he chuckled.

"Alright, then," I said. "See you soon, _Papa_."

I ended the call, sliding the phone across the counter until it collided with my book. Seth untangled his right hand from mine and wrapped his other arm around my waist, hugging me from behind, his chin resting on top of my head. My hands rested on top of his, and I leaned my weight back against him, basking in the warmth he practically radiated.

"You're leaving?" he asked, his voice deep from trying to mask his pain.

"I live in upstate New York," I told him softly. "I was only here for a few days."

He sighed, and I felt him press his lips against my hair. "Then I want to take you around La Push," he murmured. I smiled.

"Okay," I told him, tilting my head back to look up at him. He smiled down at me, and I'm telling you, it was like everything was right in the world. "But I think that I'm going to need to wear something more appropriate than your shirt and some girl's shorts."

"Those must be Leah's. She was house sitting for me a couple of weeks ago," he explained. I nodded. "I think that Rachel might be your size. Come on, let's get you changed."

He took my hand and led me to the backyard, where the boys had started playing a game of football. The girls were perched on the porch, sitting in chairs with drinks. They looked up when Seth and I walked out, and I saw a few of them smile.

"Hey, Rach? Do you think that you'd be able to find Lorelai something to wear?" Seth asked, turning a pair of huge puppy dog eyes on a girl standing next to Leah. He was right; she was maybe an inch or two taller than me, but looked to be the same size. She grinned and nodded, placing her iced tea on the table. She walked over to us and extended her hand, which I took gratefully.

"I'm Rachel Black," she said kindly, pushing her dark hair over one shoulder. "Jacob's older sister."

"Oh! Nice to meet you," I said, noticing the similarities between Rachel and the intimidating man I'd met yesterday.

"She won't be Black much longer," Seth teased. "She accepted Paul's proposal last night."

I blinked, now noticing the beautiful solitaire around her ring finger. She blushed, smiling happily. I looked over to the rambunctious Paul, who was wrestling the ball away from Jared, and wondered how he would do in the role of husband.

"Come on, Lorelai," she said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me away from Seth. I thought I heard a small animal whimper, and looked around in confusion. "My place is close by, and I know that you'd much rather be dressed and warm than shivering in your im, I mean, Seth's shirt."

I hardly noticed her skip around her words; I was too busy noticing the sudden cold enveloping me and the acute ache of pain I felt without Seth near me. I looked over my shoulder to him, and he smiled reassuringly, raising his hand. I smiled and allowed Rachel to take me over to her house.

**Thoughts? Concerns? Hopes? Comments and feedback are always welcomed...**


	4. Romance

**Chapter Four**

Rachel and Paul had been living together for the better part of two years now, and their home reflected everything that I'd seen in La Push; quaint, adorable, and oozing with warmth. They had a porch swing that creaked but was made of the same bleached wood of a sea-salted birch tree, similar to the one I had been sitting on yesterday on First Beach.

Rachel lent me an extra pair of jeans and tennis shoes, handing me a warm green sweater and leaving me in her room so that I could change. I appreciated the privacy and hurried out of Seth's shirt and the tiny, cover-nothing shorts, taking a moment to inhale the clinging scent of him. Not even ten minutes had gone by, and I was already feeling the acute ache in my chest from not being with Seth.

Rachel was in the kitchen, pouring two mugs of hot tea. My nose told me that it was chai spice, and I smiled as she handed me one. "Tea always helps with the cold," she said. "But I find that Quileute men are always the best remedy." I looked at her with wide eyes, and when she winked at me conspiratorially, I choked. Rachel started laughing, twirling the end of her braid between her fingers. "I'm sorry…I couldn't help it."

"It's fine," I replied, grinning now that the initial surprise had fled. "Just a bit, I don't know, taken by surprise."

"By what I said or by Seth?" she asked, her expression sympathetic. I blushed, drinking my tea before I replied. Was it really that obvious? Did she think that I was naïve for having feelings for Seth?

"I just, I mean I don't, I guess," I sighed, shaking my head, unable to find the right words. "Confused, would be the best description. How can I feel so, _strongly_ for someone I hardly know?"

Rachel motioned for her sofa, and we took a seat. I suddenly had no more room for tea, and placed the still steaming mug on the coffee table, tucking my legs underneath me. "It was different for everyone. Kim was ecstatic, but she'd liked Jared for years. Mel was confused, but it's hard to resist Embry when he puts the charm on. Ironically enough, Sarah and Brady hated each other since childhood, and now are practically inseparable. And Emily and Sam…that was a whole can of worms that nobody wants to remember. They're expecting their first."

I blinked; were all of those people in serious relationships? As serious as Paul and Rachel, who were engaged, and Sam and Emily, who were married and having their first child? Somehow, I couldn't picture rambunctious Brady being that easily tied down.

"And you and Paul? Was it all smooth sailing?" She snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Gosh, no! I knew Paul since high school, and I always thought he was a smart-ass. I went to the state university after I graduated and hadn't seen him for a while. I come back one break, and I swear, it was like my world shifted."

At least she understood; I wouldn't have been able to explain it as easily. One minute, I was my own person, able to outwit some of the smarmiest business dealers in the world. Five minutes with Seth Clearwater, and I was reduced to a bumbling idiot. And let me tell you, I was okay with it, as long as it allowed me to spend more time with him.

And _that_ right there, ladies and gents, scared the hell out of me. Rachel continued on as if I wasn't warring with myself internally.

"It's different for everyone. But now that our Seth has found you, mark my words, he'll do everything to make sure he doesn't lose you."

I looked up at the seriousness of her tone. What did she mean? The look on her face said that she was privy to knowledge that I was not, and that it was only a matter of time before it all came crashing down on me. The calm before the storm, so to speak. I opened my mouth to say something to her, but instead of words, there was a quick rasping at the door that diverted our attention. Rachel grinned.

"That'll be Seth, I'd bet my next paycheck on it," she said, getting up from the sofa to answer the door. My stomach did little back flips of excitement, my face breaking into a smile without my knowledge. Rachel moved to the door with an assured quickness, as if she were in no hurry to answer but that she feared what would happen if she left Seth alone with her door. She pulled the door open just as he had been about to knock again.

"Hey, Rachel," his deep voice coated my skin and I shivered, drawing his attention to the sofa. His chocolate gaze locked onto mine, and for a moment, I seriously forgot how to operate my lungs. He glanced once at our hostess before stepping through the doorway, filling up the space.

He'd changed from what he had been wearing earlier, now wearing well worn jeans and a button down shirt with the first few buttons undone to reveal a bit of sculpted russet skin. Seth smiled, and two dimples appeared in his cheeks.

"Hey," he said, sending chills down my arms.

"Hi," I whispered, unable to tear my gaze from him. Rachel sighed pointedly, tapping her foot.

"Alright, you two, that's where I draw the line," she teased, smirking. "Seth, get her off the couch and be on your way. I am not having you stare at each other like that in my house."

I laughed, unfolding myself from my seat and walking over to where they stood. Seth looked ready to tackle me, if that made any sense, and I could practically feel the nervous energy coming off of him. Just barely remembering my manners, I thanked Rachel for helping me out and then hurriedly led Seth out of her house, not even taking two steps off the porch when I was snared around the waist from behind.

I was warm again, and I closed my eyes as Seth buried his face into my hair, hugging me gently. My hand rested on top of his, my fingers working their way through until they were tangled with his. I felt him smile.

He turned me around in his arms, looping my left arm around his back while he cradled my right hand against his chest. I felt his long fingers trace patterns on the bare patch of skin above my jeans, looking down at me as if he could see through my soul. For all I knew about him, maybe he could. We were so close that I could feel his heart pumping against his chest; I could feel the tightening of muscles as my left hand grazed his back lightly. And if I could feel any hotter, I might have a heat stroke.

"I missed you," he said, his voice husky in a way that made my toes curl. I looked away from his intense eyes and butted my forehead against his chest, breathing in his scent. Why did I feel this way around him? So safe, and warm…and a dozen other things that I didn't have a name for. How did this happen and why wasn't I complaining about it?

"I was here for all of a half hour," I murmured against his chest, my senses assaulted by the cinnamon and juniper wood that was so prominent on him. His chest rumbled, and if I hadn't known any better, I say he just growled.

Maybe I really _was_ going insane.

"A half hour away from you is too long," he replied, his voice in my ear. I jumped at the sudden nearness of his lips, clutching myself even closer to him. Not that he minded. "Lorelai," Seth whispered, persistent and persuasive. I could only imagine the way that his eyes would look right now. I kept my eyes safely shut and tightened my fingers around his. "Lorelai." The way that he said my name…it was like the most reverent caress, and it made my bones melt and my insides turn to mush. If he said it one more time, I would be a goner.

"Lorelai," he repeated. "Look at me."

And there it was; just like I knew that I would be able to split the Bangkok case evenly in half, I had known that I would crack under Seth's voice. I opened my eyes and looked up, blinking in surprise when I realized how close his face was. Up this close, I could see the flecks of gold and amber in his chocolate irises, the way his dark hair fell into his eyes at a certain angle…the perfect curvature of his lips.

"I missed you too," I told him, surprised that it even came out. Something flashed in his eyes, something primal and along the lines of desire and want. Without a second thought, his lips were on mine, soft as a whisper, so as not to scare me off. All that did was ignite a fire within my core.

I should've been surprised, or at least a little bit shocked. I was generally not very much of a touchy-feely person, apart from shaking hands and giving hugs to my dad and Bri. That being said, I should have planted my hands against Seth's chest and shoved him so hard that he fell on his butt. I should've been spewing anger like a coiled rattler against a mountain lion. I should have, I should've…

I definitely should _not_ be kissing him back.

Of their own accord, my hands slid up the planes of his chest and laced around his neck, pulling his mouth down to mine to deepen the kiss. Seth responded to me as if it were second breathing, his arms wrapping around my waist and drawing me against the length of his body. I could feel his muscles and tendons tense and relax underneath my touch, and the rapid pounding of his heart against his chest. My lips parted and I could taste sea salt, cinnamon and just, Seth.

He pulled his head back and broke the kiss, despite the hold I had on him, urging him to kiss me again. I wanted to be kissed, but more importantly, I wanted to be kissed by _him_. His face was only a breath away, so close that our noses were grazing against one another. His eyes were shining with want, pure and unconditional want, and something else that I didn't quite recognize.

"Come on," he said, grinning brightly. I could imagine a young Seth, gangly and uncoordinated, with ears that were too big and a permanent smile showing off the dimples in his cheeks. His complete and total happiness must have bugged some people, but it was pleasant to be around and in it. My mouth puckered and he chuckled. "The guys are coming, and if they were to find us in this current, uh, position, we might never hear the end of it."

Understanding flooded my brain and I smiled, leaning into him. He lowered his lips to mine briefly, moving to my cheek before I could respond. He gently kissed both of my cheeks, my nose, the corners of my eyes, caressing my back with tender fingers. "Besides," he whispered, his mouth now at my ear. I jumped in surprise, my eyelids fluttering open, gripping him tighter. "I promised to show you around La Push.

With that he removed my hands from his neck in exchange for lacing his fingers with mine and leading me down a dirt path into the woods. I tucked myself against his side, my right hand resting on his smooth forearm and my head against his bicep. Seth was warm, and safe and as we walked, he pointed out the little things in La Push that no outsider would be able to discover. A doe and her fawn hiding in the brush, a flock of native sparrows that seemed to follow us from place to place. The vegetation that seemed so much more wild than you would expect to see in Washington. Prehistoric looking vines and moss climbing mile high trees with canopies interloping with one another. The way that Seth spoke about the forest…it was like how I talked about history and the things that I discovered that were thousands of years old. Reverently and completely in awe.

Once we got into the town Seth began to introduce me to practically everyone. I met Tiffany Call, Embry's mother, at her convenience store; I met Billy Black, Jacob's dad, and Quil Ateara, Sr., Quil's grandfather, who were on their way to go fishing. The most surprising revelation was when we ran into Sue (aka, the feared woman who makes the Quileute boys take out the trash) at the local grocer. 'Sue' happened to a.) be the woman who had been cooking in Seth's kitchen this morning and b.) she was also Seth and Leah's mother. I was shaking her hand when it occurred me that she'd already met me this morning…when I was dressed in her son's oversized shirt.

Talk about awkward.

"I hope that we'll see you tonight," she said with a kind smile. "We're celebrating Claire's birthday a few days early because her mom is taking them to Disney Land. It's going to be a bonfire party on the beach."

"Oh," I said surprised, looking at Seth. "I don't really know if I'll be able to go."

"We'll see," Seth said, squeezing my hand. He kissed his mom's cheek, smiling. "See you later, mom."

After an hour of meeting people, Seth led me to the beach, this time to the cliffs I had seen from my tree-perch the day before. The Pacific was churning against the stone cliffs, white sea foam swirling in its navy depths. We had a clear view of James Island, and all I could hear was the seagulls and water hundreds of feet beneath me. And right there on the shore, in a cluster of rocks, smoothed by the weathering of time, was a quilted picnic blanket, worn at the edges, and a large woven basket holding it down.

Touched, I looked up at Seth who was casually looking out over the coast, as if he were embarrassed by the whole set-up. I wrapped an arm around his waist and squeezed, waiting until he met my eye before asking.

"Did you do this?" I said, motioning to the picnic with my eyes.

"Depends," he said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. "Do you like it?"

I laughed, pulling away from him to go sit down on the blanket. A bouquet of handpicked wildflowers native to the reservation provided the color, and I curiously sniffed them to discover an overwhelming amount of sweet and spicy fragrance. The area where the rocks were located provided a private little area with a perfect view of the ocean. The sun was slowly peeking out from behind the steel gray overcast and I closed my eyes to absorb the small amount of warmth it provided. The sea spray was cool against my skin, and the scene itself was tranquil and relaxing.

I opened my eyes and saw Seth standing there, watching me transfixed. I smiled, running my fingers through my hair. "I love it."

He beamed, folding his massive frame gracefully to blanket. I watched as he moved with a fluidity that most men his size did not possess, and wondered if he was an athlete. There was something about the way he carried himself that dignified him as someone _more_ than most guys.

Seth opened the basket and started removing its contents. I watched in awe as he placed plastic wear filled with potato salad, coleslaw, egg salad, ambrosia, mixed fruit on the blanket. There was corn on the cob wrapped in tin foil and still burning to the touch. Sausages, hot dogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers with all the trimmings. There was lemonade and iced tea, which Seth poured into two champagne flutes for us, and a tray of olives, cheeses, and crackers that reminded me of the standard fare I'd had in Greece. My mouth watered and my stomach growled in surprise. I looked at him with wide eyes.

"Seth?" I asked, looking at all the food. There was practically enough to feed a small army. "How come there's so much? It's just the two of us."

He laughed, and I felt like I was missing an inside joke. "Trust me, there won't be a single piece left. Not when it comes to my mom's cooking."

"Your mom cooked _all_ of this?" I squeaked. He smiled kindly, handing me a sturdy paper plate.

"It's what she does. She cooks for everyone, all they have to do is say that they're hungry."

I watched as he started scooping things onto his plate and decided that I might as well join him. Everything looked and smelled delicious, and it didn't take long for me to be consumed by the meal. It was practically addictive.

"How did you pull this whole thing off?" I asked, picking out the marshmallows from the ambrosia with my fingers. I always saved them for last. Seth shrugged, a move I was beginning to associate with him like I did with his dark chocolate eyes and all-consuming heat. It was just a part of him.

"And divulge my super prowess as a ninja?" he asked, glancing up at me with his eyes. "Never."

I sighed dramatically, slumping my shoulders in rejection. My mouth exaggerated in a pout and from the corner of my eye, I saw as strong, protective, sweet Seth crack.

"I won a bet against Quil," he said at last. "I decided to collect."

I chuckled, wondering what the bet was. "It's really sweet." I told him, pushing my plate away. My stomach was stuffed with really good food and all I felt like doing was sleep. Seth moved from his place and sat behind me, leaning against one of the rocks. I leaned back against his torso, the chill from the shore disappearing almost immediately, and I closed my eyes as his long fingers stroked through the tendrils of my hair.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked me, breaking the comfortable silence we'd fallen into.

"Hm?" I murmured. One hand continued to stroke my hair while the other trailed down my arm, putting me into a sense of languorous ease. I felt Seth laugh gently, shaking me.

"Your favorite color," he repeated.

"Oh," I said, opening my eyes. I couldn't see Seth, my gaze was only privy to the cliffs and endless sea, but I could feel him smiling. "Blue."

"Favorite type of food," he asked. I smirked, rolling my eyes despite the fact he couldn't see them.

"What is this? 20 questions?" I asked him.

"Yes."

The dead serious tone of his voice sent me into a bizarre eruption of school girl giggles. Seth's arms wound tightly around me, pressing his lips against my temple.

"Okay, okay, favorite type of food…" I thought about all the different types of cuisine I'd sampled over the years and narrowed it down to two. "Greek and Spanish."

"Like tacos?" he teased. I poked a finger into his ribs.

"_No_, not like tacos!" I retorted, using the word like a profanity. "I'm talking real Spanish food. Chorizo, Paella, and Marmita. _Real_ Spanish food."

Seth was quiet, absorbing the information like a sponge. "Favorite flower."

We went on like that for hours, him asking fifty questions and me struggling to get one in. It should have been tiresome and he should have run out of questions to ask, but instead, they just kept coming, the next one more unique and pointed than the last. It was when the sun had gone down and the full moon shone down on us that I realized I was supposed to leave with my dad at 6. With a jolt I sat up and away from Seth, who was looking at me like he wished I wouldn't pull my phone out of the jean pocket.

But I did.

"Crap!" I exclaimed, scrambling to my feet. Like a flash Seth was standing beside me, his eyes scanning the area for the sign of my distress; like it wasn't obvious. "It's ten o'clock! I need to go back to your house."

He smirked, and I realized the innuendo hidden in my words. I rolled my eyes. "Not like that," I told him, fighting the blush that was creeping up my cheeks.

"Sure, sure," he replied, his finger tips brushing against my collarbone. They trailed down my arm and intertwined with my fingers, and a wide smile brought out his dimples. It took all of my concentration to remember why it was so important we leave our spot on the cliffs. I just wanted to curl up next to Seth and answer his questions and watch the stars with him into the night…

"Come on," he said, tugging me away from the cluster of rocks. "I'm sure your dad is going to be thrilled that I kept you out all hours."

"He doesn't even know you," I said, grinning like I was sharing a secret. He gave me a look.

"My point exactly."

"He fell asleep about two hours ago, right after mom guilt tripped him into eating some food. Poor guy didn't have a chance."

Seth smiled at his sister, his arm draped around my shoulders. I found that Leah was pretty nice, freak out episode aside, and while she had a biting and sarcastic tongue, she was really funny too. Dad was sleeping on Seth's sofa, a blanket draped over him and the post game commentary muting his deep snores. Leah had told us that he'd shown up around seven thirty, an hour and a half late much to my relief, disappointed and exhausted. It turns out that our flight had been double booked and we'd be leaving on Monday, three days from now.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't thrilled to be staying in Washington longer. The day that I'd spent with Seth held a special significance in my being, and I had such a gut feeling that I needed to stay here, on the reservation, for a bit longer. That feeling I got when I encountered a new dig was now consuming me, a promise of mystery and knowledge that was like air for me. I couldn't leave now without discovering what La Push was hiding and what it had to offer.

Leah turned to me with a small smile, like it took an effort to look so casual. "Your dad brought your suitcase with him. He had checked out of your guys' hotel room before he learned that the flight was canceled, so I told him that my brother dearest here wouldn't mind if you guys crashed here for the next few days."

Seth shook his head, but nodded at me. "I've got two guest rooms. But you can always stay in my room."

It was incredibly personal and intimate for him to offer his room to me, and my toes curled inside the tennis shoes. I looked away towards the hallway where my suitcase was sitting. "I think I'm going to take a shower and then go to bed," I said, looking up at him. He nodded, pressing his lips to my forehead.

"It's your shift," Leah reminded Seth.

"Shift? Shift for what?" I asked in surprise. Seth glared at Leah, shaking his head.

"I work in Security for the Rez. My shift is in ten minutes," he explained, running a hand through his inky hair. Seth? Working security? Sure, I could see it just by physical appearance alone how intimidating he could be. But, after getting to know him, even after a few short hours, I would've never pictured fun, loving, sunny Seth working security.

"I'll show you where the bathroom is," Leah said, moving past me to the hallway. I looked back at Seth, my hands in my back pockets.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked, wishing I'd stuff my foot in my mouth. Of course I'd see him tomorrow…it was _his_ house!

"Yeah," he smiled, ignoring my stupidity. "Sleep tight."

With that he left through the door, leaving me alone with Leah, my suitcase, and the snores of my dad.

Maybe I'd feel normal after a hot shower. Yeah, that'd be nice.


	5. Dreams

**So I am aware that you're all ready to kill me, but I've been totally preoccupied with the end of the schoolyear, not to mention this is one beast of a chapter. It didn't end where I thought it would originally, but it sets up the next part perfectly. The next chapter is going to be short and sweet and from the POV of a special wolf, and should be up within the next couple of days, if not by tomorrow. **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any character of the Twilight Saga, nor do I own Pirates of the Caribbean. All original characters from True Beauty I DO own.**

**Drumroll please...**

**Chapter Five**

The first thing that I thought of when I woke up was that my face was cold; ice cold, like standing outside in a snowstorm and then coming back inside, my cheeks were frozen. I opened my eyes and found that there was a definite storm brewing outside, the sky black and the trees bending so far in the wind that I thought they might snap. My face was so cold because the window to Seth's room was open, letting the combination of ocean and storm fly inside.

But I wasn't completely _cold_.

I tried to move my arms and found that I couldn't…that they were trapped. I started to squirm, wondering if I'd wrapped myself up in the sheets while I was sleeping, when my back started to hum. Or rather, it felt like I was leaning against something that was humming.

"Go back to sleep."

I froze. My mind began to race wondering how the hell I had let it slip that Seth had made his way home in the middle of the night. My body, however, relaxed, as if I had been stressed out and tensed until he had returned. Maybe I had been.

Seth had his arm draped over my torso, and he was nestled in loosely behind me. My head was resting against his chest and despite my initial surprise, I would be lying if I said that I was uncomfortable being in the same bed as him.

I shifted around so that I was facing him, and buried my face into his chest, which melted my freezing cheeks. I felt him wince and his arm squeezed around me tighter. My arms were tucked against my chest, cradled between the two of us, but they wound easily around his torso. The smooth texture and the undeniable heat on my skin told me that he wasn't wearing a shirt, a little fact that made me bite my lip self-consciously. As it was I was dressed in a pair of flannel pants and a tank top, not incredibly revealing but enough that it made me wonder about how I physically looked.

"Lorelai," Seth whispered, his voice deep and hoarse in exhaustion. His eyes opened, and warm dark chocolate melted into mine. His lips curled up at the corners sleepily and I smiled in return. "Go back to sleep."

"When did you get in?" I murmured, my fingers tracing patterns along his back. For a moment, I thought that his eyes had darkened, but instead he pressed his lips to my forehead tenderly.

"About two hours ago. We've got another two hours before everyone starts coming in for breakfast. Ever since Em's been pregnant, my house has become the resident banquet hall."

I smiled against his collarbone, breathing in his musky scent. "Two hours, huh?" I yawned, already settling into our embrace. "Might as well make the best of it then."

He sighed in agreement, settling into the mattress with me in his arms.

**(OoOoOoOoOoO)**

I knew that I was dreaming for three reasons. One, it felt like the middle of July, hot and humid like the tropics, something I now knew was impossible being in Washington; two, I wasn't in the flannel pants and tank top I'd gone to bed in; and finally, Seth was no where to be seen. Instead, I was laying down on what felt like velvet, but which turned out to be grass, and in a luxurious silk gown no less.

I blinked my eyes, taking a few seconds to adjust to the blaring sun shining directly into my line of vision and to gather my surroundings. I propped myself up on my elbows, staring open mouthed and wide eyed; I was in one of the most beautiful places I'd ever seen. Resembling the Irish Isles, which I'd visited on more than one occasion, I saw clear skies of nothing but endless blue, rolling hills in a lush green that matched the emerald hue of my gown, wildflowers of every species and color scattered throughout the fields, high mountains, peaks dipped in white like they'd purposefully been painted on that way. This place seemed like a fantasy, untouched by human devastation completely. It wasn't as wild as La Push, nor as groomed as the true Irish countryside, but it contained a pulsating life that I could feel deep within my bones.

I was afraid to breathe, to pollute the air which was so fresh it made me a bit dizzy. I shook my head, surprised that my raven black hair was curled into loose ringlets down my back, basking in the glow of the sun's heat that was still incomparable to Seth's. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. I didn't care if this place was a dream; I could still appreciate its untarnished beauty. A flock of wild geese flapped overhead and I heard the trickling of a freshwater stream somewhere below the hill I was on. It was absolutely perfect.

My attention was diverted as I heard a few branches being snapped, just behind me. I jolted upward, looking over my shoulder and finding a pristine forest a little ways behind. I rose to my feet slowly, suddenly aware of just exactly it was that I was wearing. The gown was full length and pooled around my feet, the back completely exposed except for the crossed crystal straps that led to a deep V neck line in the front. The emerald color was the perfect shade to bring out the bronze tone of my skin, the potency of my hair, and peculiarity of my eyes. I heard a delicate jingling and realized that both my wrists and ankles were stacked with silver and jeweled bangles, making sweet music every time that I moved, and that I was completely barefoot. The grass was soft beneath my soles.

I walked over to the edge of the forest, pausing at the shrubs and peering into the depths hesitantly.

"Hello?" I asked, my voice nothing more than a whisper on the gentle breeze which was teasing my hair. "Is anyone there?"

Nothing. Not even the sound of a frightened animal. I bit my lower lip, rubbing my arm as I tried to find something in the dark forest. Then, a rustling, from deep within the underbrush. There was definitely something in there, I realized, and this time I looked harder. Imagine my surprise when I finally spotted two huge, golden orbs floating thirty feet above me from within the trees. I yelped, stumbling back a few paces. Whatever it was, it was huge; its eyes were nearly taller than most of the trees! And I couldn't see a damned thing past that! Just two, disembodied eyes!

My heart beating like a pair of nervous hummingbirds' wings, I remained still, watching as the golden eyes blinked once. I heard the shifting of weight on the ground as something adjusted itself, and then I was staring once more into an endless, golden sea.

"A," it breathed. "Human."

Whatever it was, a Giant perhaps, it had a deep voice, with the fluidity of someone who has experienced everything there is to offer in life. Wise and gentle, resonating deep within my body like a storyteller, I stood, completely transfixed. "I've not met a human in quite some time…and a mere child comes…how peculiar…"

I bristled the slightest bit, offended by this creature, whatever it was in this dream world of mine, to refer to me as a 'mere child'. I straightened my shoulders a bit and narrowed my eyes.

"I am _not_," I emphasized clearly, surprised when my voice was louder than I was used to, "a child. I haven't been in a long time." That much was true; my dad had never treated me as a child, and it had given me a freedom to become my own person. I'd had a childhood, one that was different than a 'normal' kid's, but I hadn't been kept in the dark, ignorant and unaware. My dad had told it like it was, even if it upset me.

The ground beneath my bare feet began to rumble, like a tremor from an earth quake, and I stumbled into a firm tree for support. It took me a moment to realize that the trembling was actually coming from the creature within the trees; it, _he_, was laughing at me.

"Forgive me, my dear," it said pleasantly from the shelter of the forest. "I did not mean to offend you. But, you see, I am very old, so even one of your elders is a child to me. Do not take it to heart."

I chewed that bit of knowledge in my head, trying to catch a glimpse of him. His eyes blinked again, slowly, and at their own leisure, completely unburdened by my confusion and curiosity. I caught a bit of something metallic, but it was non-descript and just a flash of green.

"Now, tell me my dear," he rumbled deeply, his huge golden eyes opening once more. "What is your name?"

I folded myself down into the grass, crossing my legs underneath me and looked up at him. I was scared, I'll admit it, but I was curious. If this was a dream, which of course it was, I might as well understand as much as I could. Including, but not limited to, where I was, who he was, why was I here, and where was Seth?

"Lorelai," I replied quietly, my voice being carried by the breeze to sound much louder than it was.

I heard a grunt of acknowledgement and a breathy sigh; a perfume of orange blossoms and apples blew my way and I sneezed. The earth shook again as 'he' laughed.

"A very pretty name, befitting such a lovely young woman."

I smiled lightly at his compliments, staring up at the huge golden eyes thirty feet above me. One eye was larger than the average human head. I didn't know what could possibly have eyes so large.

"And your name?" I asked as politely as I could. I didn't know exactly what it was, but there was a certain respect that I could feel emanating from Vox. It was demanding without him actually demanding it from me.

"I have many names," he said, his voice betraying the smile that I couldn't see. "But you, my dear, may call me Vox."

I said it over and over in my head; Vox…it was a strange name, but then again, I was dreaming. And because I was dreaming, I was allowed to sound completely and totally corny in my reply.

"Where am I?" I asked, unable to roll my eyes the way that I wanted to.

"Some call it the Isle of Dreams," Vox said. Ha, go figure! I could've told you that. "Others call it the Island of Apples…but you may know it as, Avalon."

I blinked, my throat going dry.

"Avalon? As in King Arthur, Lady of the Lake…_that_ Avalon?"

"Do you know of any other?" he chuckled gently, rattling the trees' leaves.

"Okay, but I'm pretty sure that _Avalon_ isn't supposed to look like this," I said, waving my arms to gesture to the beautiful, green landscape around us. "I mean where are the Fey? Excalibur…Merlin?"

"Excalibur, if you remember, was returned to the Lady, who gave it to Arthur first. And Merlin was half human," Vox reminded me quietly. "The Fey have long moved from Avalon, instead finding humor in the tricks they play on humans in your world. Only creatures such as I have remained here."

"And what exactly are you, Vox?" I asked, plucking a daisy from the ground.

"You _are_ an inquisitive one, aren't you, Lorelai?" he sighed. "But I am pleased. So many of you no longer care to learn about your history."

"I'm not sure what you mean," I said slowly, fanning my fingers out through the grass. Dandelions and daisies sprouted on delicate stems, and I was overcome with the sense that this really could be the Avalon I'd researched in school. One where magic and lore came to be intertwined with one another. Even if it didn't truly exist, this dream supplement was as good as.

He blinked, a smile in his huge, gold eyes.

"To answer your question, I will simply say that I am a Guardian of Avalon, particularly the Summer Realm. Which, by the way, is the part of this great, fantastic world that you find yourself in now."

I looked around me, at the picturesque scene of hills, forests, flowers, streams, and animals grazing without fear of being captured or hunted. The tropical heat and permanent moisture in the air was every bit the definition of summer, and I was sure that had it been nightfall, hundreds of fireflies would be lighting up the sky. I turned my attention back to Vox.

"So, if I'm assuming correctly, there are Winter, Spring and Fall realms and guardians, too?"

It sort of made sense, in a weird, dreamlike way.

"In their corresponding directions, yes," Vox replied. "Summer in the South, Winter up North, Spring to the East, and Autumn out West."

I nodded, and then bit my lip. "And what's in the center, where they all meet? Or is that where the Lake is?"

"Very good, Lorelai," he applauded verbally, like a proud grandfather. "Not only do you ask many questions, but you asked the _right_ questions." I waited calmly, twirling the daisy around in my fingers. Vox sighed, and I could smell orange blossoms and apples again.

"The center of Avalon is where the main, I guess you can call it a city, is," he said. "Or, _was_, since the Fey and half-fey left. It's abandoned now, but still beautiful. It's where Blessed humans, such as Arthur, could come to Avalon. Shops, homes, festivals…it was bustling."

My shoulders slumped in sympathy; I felt bad for Vox, as he obviously missed the old days, but I didn't get a chance to dwell on it for long.

"Which is why it is so peculiar for you, my dear, to have shown up here, in _my_ Realm. No human can access the individual Realms, unless they are a powerful half fey born in that season."

I looked up into Vox's large, golden eyes, reading the interest in them carefully. He didn't seem mad or upset; merely curious, which was relaxing for me. "So I shouldn't be here?" He blinked once in agreement.

"If you were a Blessed One, or a normal half-fey, you would've found yourself in the Diamond City, and would've found nothing but abandoned structures. But instead, you are here, in the Southern Summer Realm, dressed as a Priestess," Vox mused, looking at me gently.

"I didn't decide to wear this," I said.

"I know…but, I must ask you…when you were born?"

I nodded, fingering the silken gown that I was wearing. "November 24th, 1990. I'll be twenty-one in a few weeks."

" 'Curiouser and Curiouser'," he murmured, recalling a line from Alice and Wonderland. That little tidbit had me biting my lower lip to keep from laughing. "If you were a Priestess at all, you would've shown up in the Western Autumn Realm, not mine…"

I sat in silence for a few minutes, and listened to the breeze blowing through the trees; the summer blooms making the air fragrant; and I glimpsed a doe and fawn lapping at the crystal blue stream peacefully. It truly was magnificent.

"Lorelai," Vox said, reclaiming my attention. "How did you get here? Did you meditate? Open a portal, perhaps?"

"What?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair. "I have no idea what you're talking about. All I know is that I'm dreaming…I fell asleep, and when I opened my eyes, I was here. I didn't, 'open a portal' or anything else close to that."

"Completely unconscious and unprovoked…"

Despite the obvious comfort and beauty of 'Avalon', I was kind of getting tired with all of the questions and the general confusion that I was picking up from Vox. I wanted answers just as much as he did. I opened my mouth to say so and felt blood rushing to my head. I swayed, my vision spotting black patches and I propped my arm on the grass.

"Lorelai, lay down," Vox instructed, every inch of his ancient, deep voice serious. I did as he said, losing focus quickly. I felt like I was being sucked into a tunnel, starting from the pit of my stomach and extending to my limbs. My fingers and toes were numb, and I could barely hear anything other than a whooshing, like listening to a seashell, only more deafening.

"What's…happening?" I groaned, my ears popping.

"You're returning, now," he said, his voice barely audible. "Relax."

I did my best, breathing as deeply as I could, before being completely sucked in and every one of my nerve endings going numb.

**(OoOoOoOoOoO)**

I woke up gasping, my head throbbing and my throat parched as if I hadn't taken a drink of water in years. It took some quick reflexes to keep myself from falling out of bed and onto the floor, but I did manage to smack the very large man sleeping next to me with my flailing arms.

Seth bolted upright when he heard me wake up, leaving him in the perfect position to be thumped in the face with the back of my hand. He lost his balance in surprise, and instead of retaining his spot on the bed, he fell to the floor in a tumble of blankets. My hand flew to my mouth, muffling my laughter as Seth peeked up from the floor with narrowed eyes.

"I'm glad that I'm so funny to you," he said in mock anger. His mouth was twitching madly, as if he were having trouble not smiling.

"I'm sorry," I said, a giggle breaking free. "But I can't not laugh when you're looking at me like that."

His eyes widened and his mouth puckered in a pout, and I laughed as hard as I could, clutching my sides at his ridiculous expression. With a graceful pounce he was back on the bed, pinning me down to the mattress. Immediately my hands moved to his arms, holding onto them as I smiled up at him.

"Looking like what, exactly?" he asked, his voice deep and husky. I shivered.

"Like an angry kitten," I teased. He huffed indignantly, pieces of hair falling into his eyes.

"An angry kitten?" he scoffed. "At least make me an angry puppy!"

"Cats are just as fierce as dogs…it's nothing to be ashamed of." He shook his head with a smile and leaned down to keep his lips to my ear. I could feel every plane of his hard body against my own, but he was careful to keep his weight off of me. My stomach flipped.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, all joking aside. For the first time I was able to get a glimpse of how much Seth cared for me and for what bothered me. I could imagine him as the type of guy who would try anything to try and make me laugh and smile.

"Nothing," I said honestly, my voice soft. "Just a dream. It wasn't scary or anything, it was just bizarre. I woke up feeling out of breath."

"So, you're okay?" he asked, pulling back just enough so that he could look me in the eye. I smiled, squeezing his forearm.

"I'm okay," I affirmed. With a white grin that glowed against his dark skin, he kissed my cheek and leapt off of the bed, landing agilely on his feet. He closed the window, which was still letting in frigid air, and moved around his room, stretching his arms. He was in a pair of loose sweat pants, leaving his sculpted back facing me, a large expanse of warm russet colored skin. I watched Seth move, fluid like a flowing river, without any of the usual stiffness that most people had in the morning. It was compelling and I found that I couldn't stop staring at him.

Seth looked over his shoulder, as if he could feel my gaze, and caught me staring at him. He turned to face me full on, giving me a good look at his chest and washboard stomach. Showing off just a little bit more, he folded his arms across said chest, his arms flexing. He smirked.

"Like what you see?" he asked, looking tall and handsome and smug. I rolled my eyes, sitting up in bed. I shrugged my shoulders, mimicking him.

"I don't know," I told him. I savored the expression on his face as his dark eyes bored into mine and I returned the smirk, flinging the sheets off of my legs. I stepped onto the floor, taking my time to reach his door. "It's too early to tell."

He lunged for me immediately but I was already out the door, laughing as I ducked into the adjoining bathroom before he could catch me. I locked the door and leaned against it. It was silent on the other side, but I knew that he was there. My Seth-Sense was tingling.

"We know yore 'ere, poppet," he hissed. I clamped my hand over my mouth to muffle the hysterical laughter bubbling to my lips, as I continued to listen to his horrible cockney accent. Pirates' was one of my all time favorite movies, and he was butchering it!

"You 'av something of ours that calls to us…"

An eerie scratching started on the door and I couldn't hold it in anymore. I started to laugh. The scratching stopped, and I felt rather than heard Seth walking away, leaving me my moment of reprieve…one that I hadn't realized I'd needed.

Now that I was alone, the haze that had developed around me by being around Seth started to dissipate, leaving me clear headed for the first time in days. It gave me some time to really think. I couldn't put to words the way I was feeling; I had twenty years of developing myself into who I was. How I thought or conducted business, how I behaved around other people, it left me feeling very safe and secure in that aspect. Being with Seth had thrown all of that for a loop, and now I felt confused and exhilarated and scared. Alone, I could finally admit that even to myself; I _was_ scared. It wasn't normal to only know a guy a few days and be head over heels for him. We were moving too fast too soon, and I couldn't shake the gut feeling that there was more to this than met the eye.

My dad had told me on more than one occasion that when he first met my mom, it was love at first sight. I had grown up believing in fairytales, like most little girls, further funded by traveling to foreign countries and actually visiting real castles and palaces. I believed in love, but there was a certain term that continued to pop up in the back of my subconscious, one that I fervently shut down whenever it was brought back up.

_Soul-mate_.

No. There was no possible reason for me to think about that word and Seth in the same sentence, let alone get a tingling sensation in my stomach when I did think it. Which I was not. Nope; I definitely was _not_ thinking about Seth being my soul-mate. It wasn't realistic and I was, by definition, a realist.

I ran the sink and washed my face and neck with cool water, trying to calm the flush that had crept up my cheeks. I needed some time by myself, away from the madness, to try and figure out why I was freaking out about Seth, and La Push, and to end the same nagging feeling of mystery that had been following me since the Gala a few nights ago. I needed to find somewhere quiet and peaceful, the type of place where I could relax and breathe. Back home it was usually the under the giant hundred-year old oak tree in the pasture where I had made some of the most important decisions of my life; if the weather was crappy, than it was in the barn, up high on the hay bales.

La Push was filled with prehistoric forests and wild coasts. There had to be some place in particular where I could find that same sort of refuge like I did at home. There was a thick forest right in front of Seth's house; there had to be someplace within its emerald depths.

I finished up in the bathroom, brushing my teeth and untangling my hair which was wavy from air-drying, and headed back into Seth's room, which was empty. I opened up my suitcase and mentally cursed myself; I'd only packed for a few days, and my last outfit was definitely not La Push appropriate. With a mental sigh I changed into my last pair of dark denim jeans and the aqua silk halter top I'd picked up in Kyoto last year. It had a waterfall pattern on it and left my arms and shoulders bare, much better for a summer in Florida than fall in Washington. I tied the laces of my tennis shoes and left my make-up to a minimum, mascara, gloss, and concealer, and quietly exited the room, taking the stairs two at a time.

There were loud voices coming from the kitchen, giving me a déjà vu of yesterday, and as I walked in, it was almost the same picture. The only difference was that the kitchen was filled with all women; the Quileute guys were nowhere to be found, Seth included. I spotted Sue blurring around the stove like a tornado, Jackie Call, Embry's mom, equally as busy flipping pancakes and cracking eggs with one hand. I saw three women I didn't recognize laughing and chopping up fruits and vegetables, one kneading dough with a practiced ease. They were all young, probably in their twenties like me, but each and every one of them had the familiar manner of being friends, sharing jokes and smiles.

Rachel was sitting next to a heavily pregnant woman, which my higher powers of deductive reasoning deduced as Emily Uley. Emily was incredibly beautiful, her hair thick and braided long to her waist, while her skin glowed with the happiness of an expectant mother. I felt the grin break across my face and decided to stop by and introduce myself. Rachel looked up and saw me approach, a moment of hesitation masking her pleasant expression. Emily, noticing her companion's momentary distraction, turned in my direction, still smiling.

It turns out that I had only been looking at the left side of Emily's face, which was unmarred and beautiful, and while I didn't hesitate in my walking, my smile wavered for the briefest of moments. Emily didn't seem to notice, much to my relief.

Three long, angry red scars ran down the right side of her face, tugging at her eye and pulling the corner of her mouth down, placing her forever in a permanent scowl. I realized that the reason why she hadn't seen my surprised reaction in the first place was because she was probably used to it. Guilt and shame dampened my mood further.

"Hi," Rachel grinned, delegated to the role of hostess. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good. I wanted to thank you again for everything yesterday," I said, tucking my hands into my back pockets.

"It was nothing. We're like one giant family…everything is shared," she laughed. Emily nodded, a radiant smile on her face. Already her scars were in the recesses of my mind, and I could focus on her as a person.

"You must be Lorelai, Seth's friend," she said, her eyes twinkling as if she wanted to replace the term 'friend' with something else. I swallowed nervously, those two little words popping into my head immediately. "I'm Emily, Sam's wife. I've heard a lot about you."

"Really? I've only been here for a few days."

"News travels fast in a small town," she explained calmly. "Especially here. There's no secrets."

I looked at her, her words sounding strangely ominous to me. My mouth opened to ask her just exactly what she meant, but was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. I turned around and came face to face with the three women who I didn't know. Each one of them was smiling, and the one in the middle spoke first.

"Hi! I'm Kim, Jared's girlfriend. You're Lorelai Savione, right?" Her voice was high and bubbly, like a high school cheerleader, and she had a sweet heart shaped face with large, brown eyes. Her hair was raven black and shoulder length, and she was a bit shorter than me. She wasn't as striking as Emily or Rachel, but she was still pretty. I nodded my head carefully, taking in the entire picture.

"This is Melanie Smith, Embry's girlfriend," she introduced, motioning to the tall, lanky girl on her left. Melanie had the toned limbs of a runner, and her cheekbones and nose were sharp, giving her a fierce look. Her hair was lighter than Kim's, a deep chocolate brown with onyx streaks throughout, and was slicked back in a sleek ponytail. Her smile softened her entire appearance.

"Nice to meet you," she said.

"You too," I replied, looking back at the de facto leader. Kim continued.

"Sarah Holloway," she introduced. "She's with Brady."

Sarah looked the youngest of the three, but also the most serious. She was also the only one, aside from me, who didn't seem to have a Quileute background. She was willowy and the second tallest of the group, a good three inches taller than me. Her skin was tanned from spending time in the sun, and she had wide green eyes, clear and the color of the forest. She had honey blonde hair, further lightened by the platinum highlights around her heart shaped face, and was the definition of a California beach-bunny.

If I was going with high school comparisons than Kim was the cheerleader, peppy and constantly happy; Melanie was the star athlete, probably a health nut and eager to get her hands dirty; Sarah was the Student Body President, on the debate team and a budding politician. And that left me, where? The artist?

"Nice to meet you all," I said, trying to sound relaxed, the exact opposite of how I was really feeling. Overwhelmed. Cornered. Trapped. That's how I truly felt right now. I looked around the kitchen, deciding that now was the time to try and find that special place where I could think. I looked around the room, taking a deep breath. "I think I'm going to take a walk."

"Of course, Lorelai," Sue said, looking over at me with a kind expression. "Breakfast's almost ready, so I wouldn't take too long. Once the boys get a hold of food, it's usually gone within seconds."

I nodded, heading for the door that led to Seth's porch, overlooking his backyard. I felt claustrophobic, and the rush of freezing air was like taking an icy shower with a fever. I rested against one of porch pillars, breathing rapidly and feeling the breeze whip through my hair.

"Your dad is talking with Billy and some of the other elders."

I yelped, my pulse speeding up as I turned to my left. Out of nowhere Leah was standing opposite me, mirroring my position. She was in a black tank top and jean shorts, bare foot and with her short hair windblown. Her eyebrows arched, but her gaze returned towards the side of the house where I could now hear ruckus laughter of a masculine variety.

"Just thought you'd want to know," she said, her voice civil and low. I ran my fingers through my hair, nodding to myself.

"Thanks," I replied. "He's probably doing more research, digging around. It's what we do best."

"Is it now?" she mused, the corner of her mouth turning up. I took two steps off the porch, feeling the hard dirt beneath my shoes and feeling the containment slowly lessen. The forest was close, and already I could feel its benefit in the way it felt around me. For whatever reason, being in a natural surrounding always helped me, and help was definitely something I needed right now.

"She was mauled," Leah said suddenly, forcing me to look at her.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, rubbing my arms free of goose bumps. Leah's dark gaze was serious.

"My cousin," she murmured, so low I hardly heard her. "Emily. She was mauled."

Emily was Leah's cousin? "Why are you telling me this?" I wondered, thinking of Emily's beautiful face, scarred forever. A mauling was pretty serious, and here in Wild Washington, anything was possible, but a mauling? How did she ever survive something like that, and continue to smile?

"So that you can get an idea of where you find yourself," Leah said, nailing me to the pillar with her icy stare.

"Are you trying to scare me?" I asked, my eyebrows shooting up in surprise. I had thought that Leah and I had been on a better page after last night, but apparently I was wrong. I inhaled the fresh air and felt as it calmed my rattled nerves. I didn't want to let Leah know that she had succeeded in rattling me.

"No. But it's something to think about," she said, looking back towards the house, where Emily and Rachel were still talking. A flash of envy crossed her face, and I got a feeling that things weren't as neutral as they might have once been. Something happened between Leah and Emily, and Emily had come out the victor.

Tired of playing the games and craving the freedom of being alone, I made my way off the porch, feeling the tug of the forest from my gut and the breeze through my hair. A hot hand snaked around my bicep, too slender to be male.

"Where are you going?" Leah hissed, shaking me around. Her grip was hurting, and I tore from her fingers, her nails scraping against my skin.

"None of your damn business!" I said angrily. "What is your problem, Leah? I can't figure it out, whether you hate me or merely think that I'm some outsider, but I want to be alone for a few minutes!"

Her eyes narrowed, and her fists started to shake. I leveled my gaze and spoke, low and calm. "Figure it out, Leah, because until then, I'm done trying."

I spun on my heel and retreated quickly into the woods, plunging into its depths and safety that it assured. I was done trying to figure out what Leah's problem with me was, but I wasn't done trying to solve the nagging I'd had since coming to Washington. I didn't care how long that it took, but I was determined to figure it out, once and for all.

**Review please! And I promise it won't take as long to update next time!**


	6. Animal Instincts

**So, like I said, this chapter would be coming up very quickly...I'm hoping that this atones for my previous lack of updates :) For all of you who've been reviewing, I seriously love you all! Every time this story is favorited, or story alerted, I can't help but smile...this chapter was surprisingly a lot of fun to write, and turned out longer than I thought...gives a better look into the pack dynamics since Breaking Dawn, and to give you an idea of what it means to be a Shapeshifter...next chapter I promise will return to Lorelai, as she gets closer to some discoveries and some answers...I'm hoping that this will hold you all over.**

**...Okay...I'm done talking now...ENJOY! :D**

**Chapter Six **

**Seth POV**

I didn't want to leave. In fact, it was the very last thing that I wanted to do at this point, especially after the perfect picture day spent with _her_. All I wanted was to curl my arms around her and bury my face in her dark hair, softer than anything I'd ever felt before, and just breathe her in. There hadn't been enough time for me to grow used to having her around, and I knew from looking in the memories of my brothers that it would feel like this for a few weeks yet. I wanted to show her around my house properly, to see her get comfortable in these surroundings, but from the firm glare in Leah's eyes, I knew that no amount of little-brother wheedling would get me out of my shift tonight.

I had a brief, irrational moment when I wondered if it was a good idea to leave Leah alone with Lorelai; after the way she'd first reacted to Lorelai, I was less inclined to trust my sister around my imprint, especially if her safety was in question. The other half inside of me, who had been blissfully sleeping while in the presence of Lorelai, now woke up, angry and ready to attack. Leah might have been Pack, but The Girl was Ours, and we protected what was Ours.

I bit back the growl that had been growing inside of my chest, and looked back to Lorelai, who hadn't noticed my behavior. I answered her question, echoing her sweet smile, and gave my sister dearest a hard look of my own, the air surging with the smell of the Shift so that she understood perfectly what I was feeling. Knowing that if I looked back at Lorelai I would crack, I turned for the door and rushed out into the night, praying that the air would help me clear my head.

It was supposed to just be me and Jake tonight, and we had to run the loose perimeter of the territory that had once been the Cullen's. As far as any out of town vamp was concerned, it still was, but there were now two packs of wolves running in Washington, the La Push Pack and the Pacific Coast Pack. Sam's pack, the LPP, had the traditional territory, as well the addition of the coast up to a specified point in Canada. Jake's pack, the PCP, had the claim to the Cullen's territory, as well as the rest of Washington State. If need be, we could have all the wolves and the vamps covering the distance easily. Brady and Jared were patrolling over here, and I could smell their trails as they took over their shift.

Once I was safe within the cover of the trees, I stripped down and tied my clothes to my calf with the black chord and welcomed the feel of the red haze as I traded in two legs for four. I sighed in relief as my bones popped and tendons stretched to encompass my massive frame. Full grown I was more than twice the size of Leah, and nearly as tall as Sam and Jake. I shook out my fur, and unclenched my claws, taking in the scents around me.

_Took you long enough, _Jake huffed. He was nearby, visiting his dad for once. I looked towards the east, and a huge, russet wolf meandered out of the brush, silent and deadly. He swiped a paw across his muzzle to ease a scratch and I snorted a breathy laugh.

_Lorelai_, I told him, her face immediately popping into my mind. Jake reassured me with his thoughts that he understood, and my chastisement was lifted.

_Let's get going_, he thought, sneezing as the wind shifted. _We're only covering the inner border, so we should be able to make a few laps around without killing ourselves._

Only the inner perimeter? Jake was anything, if not meticulous, and it was unusual for him to suggest to run anything but the entire area of our territory. Sensing my concern, he elaborated.

_You're newly transitioned_, he said, his mind soft. I knew he meant the imprinting. _You're going to need to balance duty with all that you're feeling, but it might make it easier if you don't stray too far._

I nodded once, and after receiving my orders, I headed in the opposite direction at an easy, ground covering pace. I encountered the scent of the Cullen's once I crossed the border into Forks, but it was so common for me now that I barely blinked. Keeping to the trees, Jake and I maintained a companionable silence for a while, catching glimpses of one another's path, though we were miles apart.

_Jake?_ I asked hesitantly, a bit nervous to bring this up. It was one thing to confront and accept it myself, but would my best friend be able to understand?

'_Sup?_

I took a deep lungful of pine air and caught a note of ozone; storm would be coming within the week. Alice should be able to tell us when.

_Is it normal to think of you and your wolf as two separate beings?_ I wondered, expressing what I meant through memories. It wasn't just that I thought of myself as Seth, and the Wolf; it really was like two beings coexisting within one form. For the most part, Wolf didn't rear his head unless we were in deep danger, which hadn't occurred in the last few years. But he was there, resting beneath the surface.

_When I was on my own_, Jake said, referencing the bleak time after Edward and Bella's engagement when he'd roamed Canada as a full-time wolf. _I noticed that I was becoming less and less Jake the Wolf and more and more like a wolf, who happened to be named Jake. After that…I started to notice that while I was human, I could actually see and feel the animalistic manifestation. He could think, and feel and want, without my help._

I nodded to myself; he'd explained it perfectly, but he'd said that it had only happened after spending a consecutive amount of time as a wolf. I'd noticed this difference since I'd started shifting and since I'd been able to hone it as an art. Jake shrugged it off.

_Every person is different, and I've found that those with a more potent heritage of the Shift are also more prone to oddities_, he mused, splashing through the creek that ran behind the large Cullen house._ I sat down with Old Quil a while ago and went over some of the histories with him, and we noticed that in the old ways, it wasn't uncommon for the Tribal Elders, who could shift, to name their Spirit Wolves something other than their given names. I think that, back then, it was more common than not for the Warriors and their Wolves to be two entities, rather than one._

That was news to me. _Why haven't we learned this before?_

I could feel Jake roll his eyes.

_You're kidding, right? Like most of the kids would want to hear about our eccentric ancestors?_

I growled, the deep routed respect I held for the Elders bringing out the anger at how most people disregarded them. _I guess they weren't so crazy, were they?_

_I guess not._

For about an hour and a half, we continued on our patrol, scenting the air and investigating anything new or out of the ordinary. There was a stale trail of a vamp who had visited a few months ago, one of the allies the Cullen's had acquired during the whole Nessie fiasco. My stomach grumbled when I caught the scent of a rabbit, and I half considered stopping to hunt for a moment. We were halfway through our third lap around, and food was starting to sound really good.

_We got less than four hours 'til sunrise,_ Jake commented softly. He sounded exhausted, and I realized that he'd been taking double shifts for a while now.

_Jake, has something been bothering you?_ I asked, forgetting entirely about my stomach and the hunt. He sighed, coming to a stop in the trees in front of his dad's house. In a little under five minutes, I'd be there myself.

_There's been something that I've been meaning to talk to you about, Seth, _he finally said, his tone serious. I picked up my speed, taking a short cut that had me agilely leaping over boulders and a creek. Jake was laying down on the grass, his head and ears held upright. I folded myself to the ground across from him, resting my head on my paws.

_Shoot_, I told him evenly, hiding the fear I felt rising.

_It's about Lorelai,_ he started, glimpsing at me from the corner of his eye. He was wise enough to understand the water he was dangerously treading and not keep eye contact; Wolf was very nearly ready to burst, and it wasn't making it any easier that I was in _his_ natural form, not mine. I clenched down on my jaw, breathing through my nose.

_What about her?_ I growled irritably.

_I'm concerned. Actually, more curious than concerned, but it's something that you need to be aware of in order to protect her properly,_ he said quietly, looking up towards the midnight sky. My head raised in surprise; if Jake had any suggestions on protection, then I was curious to hear them.

_I don't believe she's human, Seth,_ he said, looking at me directly. I blinked, frozen in time and space.

And in under two seconds, I was on my feet, snarling ferociously at my Alpha, infuriated that he would suggest that anything was wrong with Lorelai. He was Alpha, and to be Alpha was to be Obeyed; but Lorelai was Mine, was _Ours_, and to be protected by anyone or anything who hinted otherwise.

Jake mirrored my actions, snapping his jaws at me with an audible snap. _Seth! Calm down! No harm to yours!_

The Alpha order, which I had hardly felt in these last six years, clamped down on me so hard that I thought I would choke from lack of oxygen. And yet, I felt the surge of power that kept me standing, enough to resist Jake, even if only for a few seconds.

_No harm to yours, Seth_, he said again, his hackles lowering. He stopped snarling, looking at me with sympathetic eyes. I overruled Wolf quickly, assuring him that Jake was on our side, that he would never harm Lorelai…that he could be trusted. After Wolf quieted, I settled back down on my haunches, exhaustion making it hard to concentrate and keep awake.

_Sorry_, I mumbled sheepishly. Jake laughed, sitting down calmly.

_Trust me, I understand, _he assured, showing me glimpses of the different imprinting stories he'd been a witness of since becoming Alpha. A recurring theme was popping up; irrationality. _What I was trying to say, is that Sam and I noticed something when we first met Lorelai. She doesn't have a scent, not like a vamp or a wolf or a human does. It's like she blends into the world around her. When she moves, she doesn't make a sound. I can at least hear you or Edward coming, even though to a human we're silent. She's not human, and she doesn't know it._

I wanted to argue with him, to say that Lorelai was perfect and blessedly normal in a world that was so obviously not, but as I started to think, I was horrified to realize he was right. But, what was she, if she wasn't human? I looked up at him in despair.

_Every imprint is different, accessing different parts of the bond to both parties. You won't be able to find her in a time of need by scent alone, so I suggest trying to explore the limits you have. It could come in handy. It might also shed some light on just exactly she is._

_There's Vampires, Shapeshifters, Humans, and supposed, true to legend Werewolves,_ I mused. _What else is there?_

Jake made a motion that was the wolf equivalent of shrugging. _At this point, I'm ready for just about anything. I was talking with Bella last night when Ness was playing a game of chess against Alice, and something she said made me think. There's a lot out there that we still don't know, and there's a lot of legends out there, ones that could be describing something of fact. For all we know, there are witches and leprechauns out there. The Cullen's haven't been given any surprise visits by the Volturi since the last time, but Bells thinks it might have something to do with Aro using his resources to look into which legends are based in truth, discovering as much about the world as possible._

I'm going to admit that I wasn't at all pleased with what Jake was suggesting; that the Vampire Royalty were merely biding their time in exchange for inquiring about what else was out there. And if Lorelai wasn't human, and she obviously wasn't vamp or wolf, than she could very well be the sort of thing that Aro and his drones had been searching for. Wolf was gnashing his teeth together, determined that if they came for her, We would destroy them.

_Learn as much about her, and try and push the boundaries of your imprint. When Old Quil and I were going through the archives, we found a journal by Ephraim, detailing the special abilities that he and his imprint were able to share with their bond. It could prove especially useful for you and Lorelai, but Sam and I are spreading the word to all those who've imprinted. _

I nodded in agreement; if it meant spending more time with Lorelai, I was all for it. Jake still looked exhausted, so I knew there was more.

_Anything else, Jake?_

_Simon and Andrew have requested Permissions to switch packs, _he sighed, looking worried. I blinked in surprise. Apart from the original Pacific Coast Pack, which included me, Leah, Quil, and Embry, it had been an unwritten law that Sam would get all future wolves. It was a tenuous agreement, but Jake wasn't ambitious; he didn't want a huge, menacing pack. Gabriel had switched after feeling a desire of a quieter pack, leaving his younger brother, Simon, and young cousin, Andrew, with Sam. Apparently, the Watts-Ludlow brood wanted to be reunited.

_And what have you said?_ I wondered.

_We have plenty of room, and God knows that Leah would love two more wolves to lessen the patrol load…_

_But?_ I finished, smiling wolfishly. He barked a laugh, relaxing a bit.

_We'd have eight, which is practically even with Sam,_ he admitted. _As far as we know, there aren't many young ones left with the gene, and there's no need for the gene to be triggered anyway. Sam likes having a larger pack, it makes it easier for him to ignore my claim._

_We'll never be able to form one large pack again, Jake, _I soothed reasonably. _Not after the split. You and Sam are two completely different Alphas. Did it ever occur to you that the reason Simon and Andrew might want to switch is because they are more Zen than most wolves?_

Jake looked at me, tilting his head. _What do you mean?_

_Apart from my sister, we're all pretty laidback in this pack. We're just as fierce and dangerous, but we don't crave the violence and energy that Sam's pack does. Simon and Andrew are mellow…even if you didn't consider the fact that Gabriel, their brother and cousin, are a part of this pack, it seems natural that they should come over here._

Jake was silent, mulling over what I had said with great care. He respected the thoughts of those around him, especially those who had a different perspective to offer. _They haven't requested it to Sam, yet._

_They approached you before Sam? _I whistled low in my head. _Laid-back _and_ gutsy!_

_Something tells me that Sam will be less inclined to let two go, _he said, worried for the two young wolves. I could tell that he didn't want to cause trouble between the packs, but he was already starting to associate Simon and Andrew as part of our pack, and it was making his Alpha instinct surge. I could smell it in the air.

_You could be wrong, what with Emily about to pop,_ I reminded him. _Less wolves would mean less drama for him to be worried about._

Jake nodded, padding over and resting his head on my neck, a familiar gesture amongst wolves. _Head on home…get some sleep_.

I returned the gesture, wagging my tail softly before bounding away towards the particular patch of forest in front of my house. I used the red haze to my advantage, shifting quickly into the human skin that now felt like freedom. I changed into the jeans that had been tied around my ankle, quickly heading up the stairs of the porch and slipping inside.

I could hear the snores of Lorelai's father coming from one of the spare bedrooms, but when I checked the second one, it was empty. A moment of anticipation and of pure need to make sure she was okay, had me barreling up to the second story and into my room, where I found Lorelai, wrapped up in the sheets of my bed, the window kept open so that a light chill had settled over.

I stood in the doorway for a few moments, just drinking in the sight of her. Her dark hair, gleaming in the moonlight, was fanned out over the pillow, her slender figure cocooned in the sheets and bedspread. The red afghan that my grandmother had made was draped over her, and I noticed with a smug bit of satisfaction that she was sleeping on the side where I usually slept.

_Closer to Us_, Wolf noticed, settling down now that Lorelai was back within our sights. A final wave of exhaustion started to loosen my muscles to gelatin, and knowing full well that falling asleep in jeans would prove to be uncomfortable, I grabbed a pair of sweat pants and silently made my way to the adjoining bathroom.

It wasn't an uncommon thing for me to just collapse after a shift, especially if it was the midnight one, but I was grimy and most likely stunk of dirt and dog…a scalding shower sounded really good right now. I scrubbed off the dirt and mud with meticulous practice, the muscles in my shoulders relaxing until they practically drooped. I toweled off haphazardly, pulling on the sweat pants and tossing the jeans and shirt I had worn earlier today into the hamper. I rubbed my eyes with my fingers, sorely tempted to just fall asleep on the tiled floor. But Lorelai was in there…

I had never felt so foreign in my own home before. Every move that I made, I did so self consciously, hyperaware of the young woman huddled underneath the covers. The room had dropped to a chill that, though it didn't affect me, I could still detect, and the smell of ozone and rain had grown even stronger since when I had smelled it on patrol; the storm would be coming any hour now.

My attention was suddenly demanded, as I caught the slight tremors that Lorelai was issuing, shivering from the cold. My imprint instinct surged, the need to protect overwhelming. I debated with myself about whether to close the window first, but when she started to shiver again, I crossed the floor so quickly that it took me a moment to realize what I was doing.

_We can keep her warm_, Wolf assured, and I agreed, climbing underneath the sheets carefully, making sure not to disturb my sleeping imprint. I kept my distance to the other side of the bed, unsure of what exactly to do next. I needn't have worried, because it was as if her chilled body could feel the seductive tendrils of warmth I exuded; she shifted so that her back lay against my torso and her head lolled back on my chest, relaxing almost instantly. I was shocked momentarily, and awed by the way she seemed to fit against me perfectly, awed by how natural it felt for my arm to drape over her stomach and for my face to bury in the luxuriousness of her silky hair.

It was still damp from a shower, and smelled like my mint shampoo, a little tidbit that Wolf preened at happily. In his eyes, it was like another way of declaring her mine, and it made me feel important; Leah had shampoo downstairs, but Lorelai had chosen _mine_. I pressed my lips to the top of her head before settling my head on a down pillow, sleep only a breath away.

Lorelai started to stir, and I blanched, suddenly panicking. Was I hurting her? Was she too warm? A thousand thoughts were racing through my head, my heart beating so hard that I thought it would come right out of my chest, and I battled myself for some form of control. My entire sense of self was being thrown off balance, and it was reeking havoc on my thought processing skills.

It was right about then that I realized that, subconsciously, Lorelai was intertwining her fingers with mine, sighing in content. Feeling a bit stupid, I gave her hand a tentative squeeze and took one more deep breath of her minty hair. Now completely at ease, I fell into a deep sleep, Lorelai safe in my arms.

**Like it? Love it? Want to see some more Seth POV? I love feedback and you guys are amazing :)**


	7. Secret Garden

**Okay, so if you knew the amount of crap I had to go through to finally get this chapter up, you'd be shocked that I didn't just take a hiatus for a month! I finished the chapter...and then my computer crashed...I rewrote the chapter, adding a few tweaks, and then my computer was attacked by a nasty computer virus...I had finals and studying to do, on top of rewriting the chapter for the third time. I just finished editing it, so I don't know how well my grammar and syntax will be, but I hope you enjoy.**

**3...2...1...**

**Chapter Seven**

I can't explain why, but the minute I was within the cover of the trees, I immediately felt better. I could breathe easier, and my mind was clear and concise. The lasting effects of being around Seth evaporated completely, and I was back to being the familiar, realistic woman I'd cultivated myself into being. I took a deep breath of the pine scented air and allowed my feet to guide me deeper into the forest, my fingers trailing against the rough bark of a maple and the smooth hide of the bushes. I didn't know where I was going, and there was a small part of my mind that argued that I would very soon be lost, but I just kept walking, breathing and thinking.

Something strange was going on in the inner workings of La Push, but I didn't know what. All I had to go on was the strange similarities between the young men of the reservation, and my sudden and undeniable attraction to Seth Clearwater.

The feelings that I had for Seth, they were numerous and impenetrable; I couldn't have broken free from them, even if I had wanted to. I felt, deep within my core, that no matter what would happen, Seth would be there for me. If I needed someone to talk to, he would be there to listen; if I needed someone to hold on to, he would be that immovable rock for me. Whenever I was around him, I got the feeling that what he felt for me completely transcended what consisted as a normal, simple attraction. From the way that my bones melted whenever I laid my eyes on him, I knew that what I felt for him couldn't be easily categorized either.

The sky was a steel gray and threatened to open up and release the torrents of weather upon the unsuspecting citizens of La Push, and as I looked up through the canopy of the trees, I wondered what it would feel like to stand in the pouring rain. It wouldn't be the first time that I'd be caught in the rain, in fact I've been rained on in practically every area of the world at least once or twice, but there was something majestic and appealing about being rained on in a Washington forest. It transported me somewhere mystical.

The deeper I went into the forest, the more I was able to clear my mind until all that was in it was the fresh air and the distinct calls of several species of birds that were more preoccupied to notice me. Even though I had no clue as to where I was, (in fact, I was pretty sure that I was lost) my feet continued on as if walking a designated path. The smell of the ocean faded away and was replaced by the heady scents of rainwater and soft, upturned earth. The foliage thinned slowly, until only a few bristly shrubs lined either side of me. A large ravine separated me from the other side, which rose up on a sharp incline of granite and shale. I was fiercely glad that I hadn't been on the other side; I would have walked straight off the edge and broken my neck in the clear, tranquil creek rolling over smoothed river rocks. From the way the creek was flowing, I deduced that there was a steady source for the water. With a small smile, I moved North, on a mission to find the source.

I was content to just walk alongside the creek, the shore rocky and dark, occasionally tossing in a leaf or twig to watch it swirl downstream. As I continued walking, the foliage got thicker, more like the vegetation had been in the actual forest. I started to step through shrubs and bushes, brushing branches and vines out of my way. Wherever this source was located, it was thoroughly hidden. The trees seemed to grow larger, their trunks twisted and gnarled until they combined together. The canopies completely blocked out the sky, creating eternal darkness beneath. Apart from the sound of my feet crunching on leaves, branches, and who knows what else, I followed the sound of the creek, able to see enough to notice how it seemed to slip underneath the shiny leaves of a particularly thorny set of shrubs. A distant roaring filled my ears and the smell of fresh water filled my nose; the source was close.

I carefully picked my way through the thorns, ignoring the scratches I was getting on my bare arms and shoulders in the consuming need to make this discovery. In the light of recent events, I needed to quench my thirst for mystery in one way or another; since I wasn't making any headway with discovering the bizarre occurrences within La Push, I would take any other option I had available. I took a deep breath and pulled hard on a thick vine that was blocking my path. It was being stubborn, holding onto the tree for dear life, and as I yanked on it, I used my frustration to finally pull it free. It also successfully knocked me off balance, and I fell through the gap between two massive, gnarly trees, expecting to fall on the sharp rocks and underbrush in surprise.

I fell to my knees, catching myself on my outstretched hands, wincing in anticipation. I didn't feel dirt and rocks beneath my palms though; it was much too soft. I opened my eyes and allowed them to widen, encompassing the secluded glade I had literally stumbled into. Taking my time I climbed to my feet, looking around. The glade was made all the more enchanting from the crystal clear spring glittering underneath the sky, which seemed to only be visible in the clearing. The spring trickled down to the creek, the source I'd been looking for, and the spring itself had an outside source. The roaring I'd heard was coming from the frothy waterfall spraying down over the side of a jagged cliff, which looked to be made out of the same natural stone as the high side of the ravine had been, granite and shale, with minerals sparkling under the light and reflecting onto the water.

It was humid in the clearing, which surprised me, and was at least ten degrees warmer than anywhere else in the forest. Instead of the ground being covered in dark earth, it was blanketed in a carpet of green grass, soft as cashmere beneath bare palms. I had never truly known what the color green was until I had come to La Push, and even now, I felt as if I was drowning in a sea of emerald. The trees and boulders were covered in moss and ivy, and it made the sporadic blooms of wildflowers all the more magnificent. The pinks, purples, whites, and yellows were in brilliant shades against the jade backdrop, and the soft spray from the waterfall landed tiny diamond drops upon the petals so that they shimmered.

I was in awe. That a place so visually perfect existed in a part of the world that was so natural, so normal, was a revelation for me; it represented what I had discovered in La Push…in Seth. I moved towards the spring, whose waters were the crystal blue of the Mediterranean Sea, and bent at the knee, bracing myself for the freezing cold as I dipped my fingers into the spring.

I inhaled sharply; the water was the same temperature as a Jacuzzi. I had found a natural hot spring. Taking a quick look around me, I removed my shoes and stuffed my socks into them, carefully rolling up the hem of my jeans up to my knees. Slowly, I dipped my lower legs into the water, sighing as the heat worked the chill out of my calves and bones. I leaned back against a moss covered boulder, inhaling the mineral steam that the water was kicking up. I felt like a layer of ice was being sloughed off of my lungs as my breathing became easier, and for a few blissful minutes, I was transported to a natural spa. It was pure heaven.

Somewhere close I listened to an owl coo, uninhibited by the lack of time in the forest. A pair of gray squirrels paused by the edge of the clearing, watching me curiously as their noses twitched in tandem, before scampering up the moss-covered bark of a tree. In the distance I heard the beautiful, mournful cry of wolf song, raising goose bumps on the back of my arms and neck despite the humidity of the glade.

I blinked rapidly. A wolf howling? In the forests of the reservation? Immediately I felt nervous about venturing into the woods alone, especially because I knew that when there was one wolf, there were usually more. Wolves were pack animals by nature; I could only assume that more would be nearby. Unfortunately, I had no idea where I was or how to get back to Seth's house. Way to go, Lore.

Right on cue the howling picked up again, followed by the cries of at least half a dozen more voices. I swallowed the lump in my throat, wondering if I should try to make my way back down the creek. It had to lead to the ocean, and once I got to the coast, I could easily find my way back to the reservation. I pulled my legs out of the warm water and pushed my jeans down, fumbling with my socks and shoes as I hurriedly tied them on my feet.

"You are lost."

I froze in surprise, looking around the glade for whoever it was who had spoken. While I didn't spot anyone right away, I knew that someone had spoken. It was a voice that I wouldn't quite soon forget, crystal clear in the soprano range, with a lilting accent that I couldn't place despite my good ear. I knew that it wasn't a native accent or tongue, but it gave me the strangest sensation that I was talking to water; it flowed over the clearing with open curiosity and surprise.

I slowly rose to my feet, backing away from the spring and sweeping the forest with my eyes. "Hello?" I asked, more for the reassurance that I _had_ really heard someone. "Is someone there?"

A small laugh came from up on the waterfall cliff, claiming my attention. A flash of silver made me blink, and I firmly wished that I hadn't gone wandering alone. Sure I had needed some space to be alone, but I wasn't familiar with this area, and I should've known better. For all I knew, there was an escaped lunatic running around the forest, and I had walked straight into their hands.

"You are not from around here."

My head snapped to the left, to the opposite side of the spring. Impossible, but the voice had come from a completely different location than it had been a few seconds ago. An unnerving sense of dread was building in my stomach, and I swallowed the hard lump in my throat. The hair on the back of my arms stood up, and my heart was beating straight out of my chest.

There was movement coming from the trees in front of me, still on the opposite shore of the hot spring, leaving a good distance between us. Whoever this was, they were coming out of their hiding place; I braced myself to run, glancing back at the two gnarled trees I had stumbled through. If I got a good enough grip on the ground, I could sprint pretty quickly out of here. It would be navigating the thick undergrowth of the forest that would be the tricky part.

"I didn't mean to frighten you."

The owner of the voice finally broke into the clearing, forcing my eyes to widen in shock. It was a woman, perhaps the same age as me, but who was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. She was fluid, even in stillness, with skin that vaguely reminded me of the pearlescent sheen of a Mother of Pearl flaked shell. Her hair was something out of a fairytale, thick and wavy that flowed down past her hips and that was the unbelievable platinum white of the moon. While it should have looked dyed and horrible, I somehow knew that it was natural, and with her pale skin, she looked like some beautiful Moon Goddess. Immediately I though of Edward and Bella, and their unique paleness, but this woman was nothing like the Cullen's. There was something about her that seemed totally at home here in the forest, despite two things.

One: she was watching me with all the ease and grace as an experienced predator. Every movement I made, every surprised glance I cast around, she noted it with the quirk of her head and the fierce intelligence of her bizarre eyes (one was the clear blue of the hot spring, the other a disturbing glittering of silver). The way she held her elegant frame, which to me seemed both petite and immense at the same time, spoke every inch of a hunter. And I had gotten in front of her quarry.

Two: she was stark naked. It took me a moment to realize, I think I was more surprised by her being here than anything else, but when I did, I did everything I could to avert my eyes. It was only after she laughed again, a high pitched, cooing sound, that I finally looked at her again. Her long hair was partly pulled in front of her shoulders, covering her chest much like classical depictions of mermaids. She was wearing what seemed to me to be a silk loin cloth, gold chains slung around her hips, covering everything. I shook my head, wary enough to maintain my distance. This was not a Quileute native, and the way that she was dressed (or not) was screaming 'weird' at me. She had stacks of gold, silver, and bejeweled bangles covering her wrists and ankles, and a large, rough crystal strung on a silver rope around her neck. She seemed very amused by me, and I couldn't judge whether it was a good or bad thing.

"Do you need help?" she asked, her voice the same lilting tone that felt like it was washing over me. I bit my bottom lip nervously, feeling like a young girl again.

She tilted her head, her eyes smiling in a way that wasn't quite natural. Her face was very smooth and very angular, her cheekbones and nose sharp and aquiline. There was something imperial about the way her mouth was held, and the overall bearing she carried. I'd seen it many times when I visited royal or noble families in my art dealing. Whoever she was, she was, in blatant terms, well bred.

"You are right to be wary of me," she continued smoothly, speaking to me as though I were a frightened colt. "But I mean you no harm."

How weird was it that this wild woman, who, to be honest, must be out of her freaking mind to be walking around the forest like that, was assuring me that she meant me no harm. I took a deep breath, inhaling the mineral steam as a way to relax my stiff muscles and to lessen the fear I felt. Being afraid of this woman wasn't going to do me any good.

"I'm Sansai," she said, her voice still a gentle caress. "I see that you've found my Secret Garden."

"_You're_ secret garden?" I sputtered, finally able to speak again. She smiled, pleased that I wasn't just standing there, staring at her.

"Well, since nobody can truly claim a forest, I guess I can't call it my own. But it's the place where I come to relax and to think."

The same thing that I had wandered into the forest looking for, I realized; a place to just think and to find some solitary comfort. Sansai walked over to the edge of the spring, dipping a foot in and sighing blissfully. Her expression became unguarded, and more relaxed, and overall I felt more comfortable around her. Or, at least, less uneasy around her.

"You don't seem like you're from around here either," I said, remembering her earlier comment about me. Her eyes peeled open, and for the first time, I realized that they were slanted somehow, tilted upward at the outward corners, giving them a catlike appearance. I swallowed again, tucking my hands into my back pockets.

"I'm not from the reservation, no," Sansai said, smiling as if she were hiding a very well kept secret. I pushed back the instinct to flee, leveling my gaze with her. "But I am very much from around here."

Okay…so we were going to be communicating in riddles. Lovely.

"Where are you from?" I asked. She couldn't be from around here…she was too bizarre, too exotic.

She shrugged her shoulders, pulling her foot back out of the water. She opened her mouth to say something and then stopped, her body maintaining a rigidness that didn't seem to fit with her. Her eyes sharpened and I saw the change appear within her; no longer was she a curious, half-naked woman speaking to me in riddles. The hint of the predator I had glimpsed in Sansai earlier was nothing compared to the full blown huntress standing before me. Her gaze was pulled to something over my shoulder, and from the agitated way her fingers clenched and flexed, I could tell that she was debating internally about something. I could feel the surge of something, _other_, over the course of my skin.

The wolf howling I had heard earlier was back, louder, more sorrowful, and a hell of a lot closer. I blanched in fear, unable to pinpoint the direction that the wolves were at. Sansai's two colored eyes sliced to me, cold and ruthless, with a hint of concern. She looked me up and down, muttering something to herself.

"How well do you know the natives here?" she asked, her soft lilting voice rough and edged like a razor. What kind of a question was that?

"Very," I said, surprised. That wasn't what I was initially planning to say, but it worked all the same. If anyone from La Push was nearby, I would be fine. She nodded once, a short, fierce jerk of her head, and then smirked. She slowly backed up towards the area she had first emerged, the small smirk still on her lips and which made me wary once again. Where was she going?

"Not well enough," she said, turning on her heel and disappearing into the forest faster than I would've thought possible. I'd been walking through this forest all morning, and I knew with a firm certainty that running would've been extremely difficult. To move at the speed that Sansai seemed to be moving, it would very nearly be impossible.

A low growling claimed my attention, a sound so furious, and so feral that I was lucky I didn't collapse in fear. As it was, my knees locked and I held my breath in terror; I could feel the hot breath of a wild animal behind me, and the guttural sounds weren't doing much to improve my mood. Oh, why did I have to be stupid and go into the woods alone!

Taking a deep breath, I turned around, expecting to come face to face with a pack of gray wolves, hackles raised and teeth bared. What I got instead sent me stumbling backwards until the back of my knees hit a large boulder, forcefully stopping my terrified retreat. I had been right about the call belonging to a wolf. But I had been dead wrong about the type of wolf.

Standing a head taller than your average horse, with legs and paws that immediately reminded me of a bear's, was the largest, freaking mutant wolf I'd ever seen. How he could even fit through the tight trees was a mystery to me, but I was more entranced with the beast itself. He was massive, built of compact muscle that rippled underneath a thick, sandy colored coat. His paws and the tip end of his tail was covered in a darker, burnished gold, the contrast beautiful and magnificent. His claws were extended, sharp knives of steel, and the hackles on the back of his neck seemed to make him even larger than life, no doubt its intended purpose. There was something shockingly intelligent in his face, despite the way his lips were curled over pearl white fangs, the length of my forearm each, and so sharp that they reminded me of the saber-tooth tiger's skeleton at the Museum of Natural History in the city.

After my initial surprise I realized that the wolf's antagonism hadn't been towards me at all; he was focused solely on the space where Sansai had been. She had been a hunter, but this wolf, for whatever reason, had made her its prey. I shivered, drawing its attention back to me.

Uh-oh.

He barely spared me a glance, but I felt a raw jolt rock through me, and my limbs suddenly felt like dead weight. Glaring back at the space, he smoothly raised his massive head to the sky, his throat exposing a ruff of dark gold fur that matched his paws and tail-tip. A hollow song of victory filled the air, the note resonating deep inside of my bones as I watched, completely transfixed. It was shorter than the other, mournful cry I'd heard earlier, and when he finished, all of the tension and ferociousness that the wolf had possessed, had all but disappeared.

He rose himself up to his full height, evenly distributing his weight on all fours; his tail was held at attention, and the way his neck arched and his ears perked, I had the bizarre vision of him with a show-dog collar. He was showing himself off.

He meandered over to me, his gate smooth but still with the graceful gate of a canine, until I could practically smell him. I held completely still, refusing to blink or breathe or to make any possible movement what so ever…but my lungs were burning and I needed to breathe before my chest exploded…

I risked it, inhaling a deep lungful of air and praying that the wolf didn't eat me. All I got was mineral steam, pine, cinnamon, sea spray, and juniper wood…

I gasped, knowing the scent anywhere. The wolf stiffened, lowering his massive head until I had locked eyes with the massive beast. My heart was beating wildly out of my chest, uncontrolled by my erratic breathing. It wasn't possible…it couldn't be true…there was no way that things like this existed. I had to be dreaming, or hallucinating, maybe a weird side effect of the mineral steam from the hot spring…but certainly not this…it just wasn't…possible…

Those deep chocolate eyes, so warm, so passionate, with all the care and concern in the world…I would know those eyes anywhere. With tears glittering in my eyes, my mouth opened.

"Seth?"

**Duh...duh...DUHHHHHH! Ha, so, what are your thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Who is this mysterious wild woman, and how is our poor, charming Seth going to work his way out of this mess? I love reviews...hint, hint...**


	8. Indigo Sky

**First off I just wanted to thank all of you who have either reviewed, favorited, and/or story/author alerted me...you guys seriously are the best and I can't tell you how much it means to me whenever I get a notice. So, thank you! :) Secondly, I was really surprised by how this chapter turned out. Surprised being that in my head, it had gone off differently...I was planning on drawing things out and creating a lot of angst between our beloved Seth and Lorelai, but for the first time, I understand what authors mean when they say that their characters become their own entities. Now, while Seth isn't mine, I've still had this experience with his and Lorelai's relationship.**

**A word of caution...just because this particular chapter didn't have the angst I'd been planning (and when I mean 'angst' I meant that period of time when the heroine feels betrayed and confused and shuts out the hero), don't think that everything is going to be a cake walk. I found that it was easier to save the hurt and emotions for later on; I want our love birds to have a strong connection _before_ things start revealing themselves.**

**That being said, I think I've talked long enough...I hope you like this next installment :D**

**Ta Da...**

**Chapter Eight**

The wolf…Seth…Seth-Wolf…I couldn't make myself believe what my brain had already concluded and so I was beginning to enter the stages of shock. My throat was raw, as if I'd spent the last day screaming my lungs out, and my limbs felt like complete dead weight. I couldn't move them if I had wanted to. I was aware of an out of place hitching sound, but I couldn't exert the energy to discover what it was. I was caught completely in the trance of the wolf's dark chocolate eyes, the familiar flecks of gold and amber around the pupil constricting around my heart as if it would completely implode. I felt as if all the air was being drained from my lungs, and I couldn't breathe without thinking, _Holy crap, Holy crap_, on repeat.

The wolf whined anxiously, shifting from paw to paw, his ears pressed back against his massive head. He glanced once over his shoulder towards the trees and then back at me; what, was he worried that I'd bolt the minute he left? At this second, I would be lucky if I didn't pass out.

Seeming to make up his mind, the wolf took two huge bounds away from me until he was disappeared inside the cover of trees. With a moment to myself, my knees buckled and I collapsed to the ground, my hands shaking uncontrollably. That strange hitching sound I had heard earlier was in fact coming from my raw throat, and for some bizarre reason, hot tears were streaming down my cheeks. Leave it to me to cry when suffering a mental breakdown.

"Lorelai!"

Seth's voice was another jolt to my system, forcing me to look up. Just where the wolf had dissolved a moment before, Seth, my, very human Seth, was now jogging out of, wearing only a pair of jean cut off shorts. A broken sob escaped my throat, and he picked up his pace so that he was practically sprinting across the meadow. I don't know what I had been wishing…that maybe I was delusional and that I hadn't imagined that somehow…Seth was also a massive sandy wolf…that I imagined it in the recesses of my mind. Him coming out of the trees only confirmed it.

Seth reached me and knelt in front of me, his rough, hot hands caressing the tears off of my cheeks, his eyes widened in fear. Fear of what, I couldn't be sure, but whatever it was, it was terrifying him. And it was terrifying me. Of their own accord my hands gripped his wrists, and I started to cry in earnest, sobs hiccupping in my throat. Seth's heat only managed to upset me more, as more of the pieces began to fall into place.

That huge mystery that I had been dying to discover, to uncover and understand? Here it was, lain out in front of me on a huge, silver platter, and now I wanted nothing more than to throw it off a cliff, far from me and far from the imagined state of happiness I had been in. Curiosity killed the cat. Apparently, it also killed every other illusion that I had been forced to believe. Things like this didn't exist…they just didn't.

"Lorelai, please, say something," Seth whispered, his voice deep and rough from an onslaught of emotions. His eyes, tiny now compared to the wolf's massive saucers, were shining with unshed tears, and I caught another sob in my throat. Whatever I was feeling, Seth seemed to be echoing it all. And despite how terrified, and upset, and overwhelmed, and angry (because I _was_ angry at him, at the situation) I couldn't see him hurting. It had a firmer grip on my heart and my being than anything else.

"I'm so sorry, Lorelai," he rasped, struggling to keep his cool. "I wanted more time to explain it all to you, but you told off Leah and we couldn't find you…please, say something…anything."

My mouth opened but nothing came out; I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe. I needed to get away from this place. I couldn't face Seth…hell, I couldn't face myself. All I knew was that I was caught up in something that I hadn't signed on for, and it scared the crap out of me. I looked at Seth through the ever present river of hot, salty tears and for a moment, I wished that I had remained ignorant. But then the vision of the huge, mutant wolf came into mind, and I needed to run. Just flat out run.

I pulled his hands from my face and scrambled to my feet, every muscle and tendon in my body screaming at me to escape, even though my heart was breaking with every step I took away from Seth. I slipped once, catching myself on my palms, and then my tennis shoes caught traction, and I started to run in earnest. I headed for the two gnarled trees I had come through, ignoring the pain I felt as sharp branches scraped along my bare skin in my attempt to escape.

"Lorelai!" Seth yelled, his booming voice filled with anguish. I heard the pounding of his feet as he followed me, and my legs kicked into high gear. The hesitation that I had felt about making my way through the thick underbrush had vanished; I now pitied the poor shrubs and branches that got in my way.

Running was something that usually helped me figure things out; I'd started right around the time I turned eight, and in fact, it was something that Bri and I usually did together. I had gotten into an argument with Dad and she'd been getting ready to go jogging. Soon, I'd found that running was like a type of emotional therapy for me, and I'd continued running ever since. I had forgotten how much it helped.

The longer I ran, the more I seemed to realize that I wasn't getting caught on uprooted trees, entangled bushes or swinging vines; it seemed as if they didn't exist, like I was running the track at one of the local high schools. I found a rhythm in my ground covering pace, my breathing harsh and pushing my lungs into overdrive so that I didn't pass out in the forest. I was still crying, but the tears were running in time with my elevated heartbeat; every part of my body was in sync with the other parts, except my heart and my mind.

Every little odd thing, the Quileute boys' steroid-like bodies, the amount of body heat they seemed to radiate, the way that they all seemed to interact as one huge living organism…just little things that I hadn't taken the time to really process and investigate were now like shining beacons of, "Duh!" Although, in my defense, never in the world would I have come to the conclusion that the young generation of Quileute Natives would turn out to be a pack of mutant Werewolves. There were some things that even to my open mind were still out there.

Was all of La Push filled with Werewolves? Were other Native American groups who had similar beliefs caught up in this magic and intrigue that I was now? How many times had I researched ancient cultures from around the world, only to discard their notions and beliefs as simply eccentric? A deeper, more unsettling thought crept into the back of my mind. How many other legends and folklore were true?

I had been around Seth for maybe three days, give or take, and while I hardly knew him, there were certain things that I understood with such perfect clarity, it was like denying that 2 + 2 = 4 to go against them. I knew that I was safe with Seth, that out of anyone I knew (and that included my Dad and Bri) he would be the only one who would do anything to protect me and that he would be the only one _able_ to protect me. My toes curled and heat crept up my cheeks when I thought about Seth; I'd never had a truly serious relationship, they usually didn't last for more than a few months, if that. But whatever was connecting Seth and me was strong, and not unpleasant. In fact, if I was being honest, I didn't want to let him go.

Which brought up the next obstacle…Seth was a Werewolf. Considering that it wasn't night, and it wasn't a full moon, I came to the conclusion that that meant he could change whenever he wanted to, not when the astronomical shifts determined. I was upset and a bit angry that he hadn't been telling me the truth for the short amount of time we'd known one another, but the rational, if not a bit love-struck, part of my brain knew that it probably was for the best. Whatever it was that we had, it was still shaky; having him be completely honest up front about his furry side would have sent me out of La Push faster than a monsoon.

I was scared. I was absolutely petrified of what exactly I had stumbled into and what it would mean. But, despite my fear, I was curious about what was happening around me. I wanted to know more about Seth and La Push…I wanted to understand more than I wanted to run away. Things that Rachel and Emily had said slowly started to make a bit more sense, now knowing the big secret that had been kept under wraps…

I gasped, losing my momentum as the toe of my shoe caught an upturned root from a large pine. I stumbled against its bark, scraping a sharp gash along my right shoulder. I hissed in a breath of pain, wiping the drying tears with the back of my hand. While I had been thinking, Emily's face had popped into my mind, beautiful, glowing, and forever scarred. I was sucking wind with the ferocity of a marathon runner, and now that I had stopped, my limbs had no qualms about convulsing uncontrollably, my knees threatening to give out underneath my weight. Leah's voice popped into my head as I replayed our earlier conversation.

"_She was mauled," Leah said suddenly, forcing me to look at her. _

"_What are you talking about?" I asked, rubbing my arms free of goose bumps. Leah's dark gaze was serious._

"_My cousin," she murmured, so low I hardly heard her. "Emily. She was mauled."_

"_Why are you telling me this?" I wondered, thinking of Emily's beautiful face, scarred forever._

"_So that you can get an idea of where you find yourself," Leah said, nailing me to the pillar with her icy stare._

"_Are you trying to scare me?" I asked, my eyebrows shooting up in surprise. _

"_No. But it's something to think about," she said, looking back towards the house, where Emily and Rachel were still talking. _

I leaned against the tree for the much needed support, trying to ignore the aching fire in my calves and chest. Emily had been mauled…Leah had never said about what kind of mauling, but I had assumed it had been a bear…but Emily was married to Sam…and Sam was in on the whole La Push Werewolf Gang…

Had she been caught in the middle of a werewolf's anger? All this time, had Leah, _Leah Clearwater_, Seth's sister and the President of the 'I Hate Lorelai Fan Club', been trying to warn me?

I fell to my knees, dry retching until my stomach cramped. I had never felt more sick than I did right now. Every part of me knew that Seth would never hurt me, that he cared about me too much. A small voice was telling me that he was my Soul Mate and that he loved me unconditionally. But I couldn't ignore the facts, and right now, the facts were saying that Werewolves were dangerous. I didn't want to believe that Seth could hurt me, but…

I heard the rustling of trees and forced my head to look up, catching the russet colored skin before anything else. I lurched backwards, which really wasn't my smartest move, because it forced me to smack my head back against the thick trunk, a throbbing shoot of fire reverberating in my skull. Soft, hot hands eased around my wounded shoulder and head, but they weren't Seth's hands. I was seeing red behind my eyelids but I forced them open, shocked when I saw Jacob Black kneeling in front of me.

His expression was gentle and sympathetic, but concerned as he took in my injuries. His black eyes were glossy and he released a huge sigh, shaking his head. "You know, you're pretty fast."

I barked out a breathy laugh, the comment so absurd in this situation that it was dark and cynical all at once. He smirked, a lone dimple quirking his cheek. "I'm serious. I mean, I'm pretty damn fast, and it still took me a while to catch up to you. Do you have any idea what that means?"

Everything that he was saying was like a jumbled mess of gibberish in my head. Sure, I could think on my own, form my own opinions and come to revealing conclusions, but the minute someone tried talking to me, it was like clumps of wool had been stuffed into my ears. I blinked wearily, my head drooping down like a sinking ship. Jacob propped me up, looking at my eyes with a cursory glance.

"You need a doctor," he decided. I shook my head, just barely avoiding pitching over onto the ground. He caught me with his quick reflexes. His quick, _Werewolf_, reflexes.

"There's two things you need to know," Jacob said, his voice soft but commanding. "First, you are more precious to Seth than his own life. He will be anything, do anything for you, should you ask him. The sooner you understand that, the better. But you need to take better care of yourself…he's in complete agony right now. He blames himself for not telling you everything sooner, but it was my suggestion that he take his time to know you before laying it all down."

I picked up bits and pieces of what he was saying, and a deep frown etched onto my face. I didn't want Seth blaming himself. He shouldn't be hurting, not because of me. A deep layer of guilt ate my chest, and I felt like crying again. Since when had I turned into such a blubbering fool?

"Secondly, Seth is one of us, and we do everything to protect each other," he continued, nailing me with dark eyed scrutiny. "Which means that we will take care of everyone near and dear to everyone in this pack. That now includes you, Lorelai, and when you hurt Seth, you hurt all of us. We don't want you hurting anymore than we want Seth or ourselves or any of our other brothers hurting. We will protect you until the end. The protection of the community and of those we care about are our top priority. We are Protectors, not killers."

I nodded, taking the time to understand what he had been saying. I half noted that he referred to the young men as a 'pack', which meant that he knew I had found out. I appreciated his up front declaration and I couldn't miss the fierce loyalty he displayed when he talked about them. He was right; they weren't monstrous beasts with a desire to kill and maim everything in sight. They were a family, a large extended family that, according to Jacob, I was now a part of. Somewhere, my insides curled in pleasure at being accepted by Seth's family and friends (minus one particular person). But then my mind turned to Seth and where he was. Had I really done something awful to him by running away?

"Where's…Seth?"

I was drawing in ragged breaths and speaking was turning out to be completely out of the question for my lungs and throat. I sounded like I had gargled with rusted nails.

Jacob's face eased into one that I would expect a loving brother would wear. "He's on his way."

I nodded, feeling reassured by Jacob's presence that I hadn't done anything to permanently ruin what good I did have with Seth. Unable to fight it any more, I allowed the darkness to pull me in and I collapsed against Jacob's flame-hot body.

**(OoOoOoOoOoO)**

I woke up to the sound of the ocean, the gulls calling to one another with the gentleness of a breeze. The air was crisp and a damp chill fell over my skin as I started to come to, blinking in confusion. My throat was dry as the Sahara and I ran my tongue over my lips, feeling the broken skin from being chapped. I shifted onto my back, wincing in surprise at the ache in my shoulders and legs; it felt like I had gone kick boxing for hours (something that Noelle had dragged me to once) and had forgotten to soak in a hot bath. My head was on fire, and as I prodded my fingers along my scalp, I found a large area along the back of my skull that was extremely tender.

My cheeks felt like they had been slapped a few times and my eyes stung, forcing me to rub them constantly. When I was able to ignore the searing pain that seemed to encase me, I found that I was in Seth's room, bundled up in his comforter and blankets, and that the large window was open. The clock on the nightstand said 2:15, and from the swirling indigo sky, I figured that it was 2:15 in the morning. I shivered as another blast of wind blew through the room, immediately curling towards the side that Seth slept on.

Seth wasn't there. The other half of the bed was like an ice slick without him there to heat it. I whimpered, suddenly forced into remembering what had happened. Going for a walk…the secret glade…Sansai, whoever she was…Seth…Jacob…_Werewolves_…

Just like that I felt my eyes burn as they tried to create more tears. But I had already cried myself out, and honestly, I didn't want to cry anymore. It wouldn't have served a purpose anyway; I wasn't upset that he was a mythical creature, I wasn't angry with him (maybe a little miffed, but I understood why he hadn't told me sooner)…I would have been crying because I knew I must've screwed up my tenuous relationship with Seth by running away. The conversation Jacob had had with me before I had passed out from exhaustion (I refused to refer to it as a fainting spell, as Noelle or Bri would have used to tease me) and my heart clenched. I'd never forgive myself if I had hurt Seth. He was one of the sweetest, gentlest, passionate, happy people I knew and in the moment he had needed me, I had lost my cool.

I groaned as I struggled to sit up, pulling the red woolen blanket around me for warmth. I couldn't sleep without talking to Seth; I wanted answers, but I also wanted him to know that I wasn't going to run from him again. I would never run from him again, even if he turned out to be a demon. Okay, well, maybe I'd run if he was a demon, but the chances of that were close to nada.

I was still in my jeans and the ridiculous top I'd been wearing the day before, and apart from being really uncomfortable, I needed to just be close to Seth in some way. He wasn't here now, so his clothes would just have to do. I meandered through his closet and grabbed a hunter green sweatshirt, pulling it over my head. The sleeves hung at least half a foot if not more past my wrists and the actual hem of the sweatshirt hung halfway down my thighs. It smelled like him though, and I took a moment to inhale his familiar scent, letting it wash over me with a sigh. I found a pair of oversized flannels and pulled them on despite the ache in my back and legs, adjusting the drawstring so that they stayed on.

I couldn't fall back to sleep, not without at least knowing where Seth was. Carefully balancing on the balls of my feet, I crept to the door, opening it up to the darkened hallway. I knew that the two guest rooms were downstairs so I decided to check on those first. I'd figure out what to do if it turned out he wasn't in there. I winced every time the floorboards creaked underneath my weight and hurried to reach the bottom, bypassing the first door when I heard my dad's familiar snoring. I wondered what the guys had told him about where I had been and what I had been doing. I pushed that thought to the back of my mind; I had bigger things to worry about.

The second guest bedroom had a white French door that I knew opened to a spacious, beach themed room, kept in neutral shades of blue, brown and cream. Holding my breath I turned the handle quietly, pushing it inwards and hoping that the hinges wouldn't squeak. They didn't.

The room had been torn apart; the desk was turned over and the matching chair was splintered beyond repair, pages from books had been torn out in frustration, the comforter was in shreds, and the curtains were hanging at an odd angle. The window was open, letting in the freezing night air, not that the huge, sleeping man minded. My chest seized as I took in Seth's haggard appearance. He had dark circles under his eyes, almost bruised looking, and his cheeks looked sunken. He had a five o'clock shadow that didn't look bad on him; it gave him a rugged, earthy look. I found shreds of random fabric here and there, cotton, denim, canvas from a shoe…

Seth had torn apart this room, and I couldn't help but feel guilty; I knew that it had something to do with me and the mess I'd created. As it was, it looked like Seth had worn himself out defacing the spare room, and had collapsed on the large bed, which, apart from the comforter, had miraculously stayed in tact. He was wearing the other half of the sweatshirt combination, the deep green sweats hanging low on his hips. I felt the heat of a blush creep up my neck and cheeks as I gazed at him, his warm skin glowing in the moon's light. The green looked good against him, and a warm feeling knotted into my abdomen. There was something completely disarming about seeing Seth asleep; it was like seeing _him_ vulnerable made _me_ feel vulnerable.

I glanced over my shoulder at the darkened hallway and decided that I wasn't going back upstairs. Even knowing that he was in the house wouldn't help…I couldn't sleep without him. I closed the door behind me, fearing what would happen if someone (ahem, my dad) were to peak in and see A.) The two of us sleeping together and B.) The room in shambles. That was not something I was ready to deal with, even if I did keep a realistic head. At the moment though, I was very single minded, and my goal was Seth and the bed.

I crossed the littered floor with trepidation, moving splinters of varnished wood out of the way as I tip toed to the bed. Seth was on the right side, his left arm splayed out in an unintentionally welcoming manner. I crawled onto the mattress, measuring my weight little by little so that I didn't disturb him. His breathing was soft and mellow, the gentle fall and rise of his bare chest giving me enough courage to submerge myself beneath some of the blankets. I rested my head on the left pillow, keeping a good few feet between us through fear. Would he be angry that I came down here, uninvited? I hoped not.

Already the chill I'd been fighting off was disappearing, the heat that Seth produced warming me even without direct contact. Like a moth drawn to the light, I inched closer and closer to him, finally curling my body to the mold of his. I rested my head on his chest, taking a deep breath of his scent before closing my eyes. _This_ was what I needed.

Without a moment's notice, I felt Seth's arms tighten around me and suddenly I was pinned to the mattress, his body hovering over mine, trapping me. His eyes were open and glimmered with an animalistic shine, as if he was facing an enemy. His dark chocolate eyes reflected nothing but anger and suspicion, but I saw a shimmer of fear and pain. Slowly, I watched as his face relaxed into one of recognition; I wasn't an intruder, I was Lorelai. The pain was brought full force into his gaze and I cried out quietly, my fingers trembling along his cheekbone. I had hurt him. I had hurt Seth.

I thought that for sure he would pull off of me and leave, ignore me after the way I had wounded him, but he did something else entirely. He buried his face into the hollow where my neck and shoulder met, skimming his nose and lips along the sensitive skin there. His grip on my upper arms slackened, and instead circled around my back, pressing the hard contours of his body against my soft curves, all the while keeping his weight off of me. Almost desperately my arms snared around his neck, instinctively pulling him closer as I buried my face in his shoulder. He breathed in my hair and skin, peppering my neck with soft, butterfly kisses that made me tremble.

"Seth, I'm so sorry," I said, pulling my face from his shoulder so that the words wouldn't be muffled. "I wasn't thinking. It was just…so much to take in…and I was scared…and-"

"Lorelai."

His voice was deeper, huskier and with a slight rasp that made me wonder if he'd been yelling. His lips were at my ear, making my toes curl. His arms tightened around me, pulling me tighter against him. "You did nothing wrong. I brought this on myself. And I brought you into it too, something I was trying my best to avoid. I was still trying to figure out how to bring you to the truth without scaring you off. When you ran, it was understandable because of the way it happened, but it was like my every fear had come true."

I whimpered, pressing my lips to his collarbone. "Seth, I'm sorry. Please…I'm not running from you. I was startled, that's all. I have questions, but I'm not going anywhere."

Seth surprised me by grazing my earlobe with his teeth, sending me deeper into the mattress, all the while pulling him down with me. He pulled his head back to look at me, the gold and amber flecks more pronounced. There was a hunger I saw there, one that made me blush and squirm inside. But when he spoke, his voice was quiet, a fleeting show of terror breaking through.

"You're…you're not…afraid of me? Of what I am?" he asked, searching my face desperately. I don't know what expression I had on but I didn't want him to misunderstand me. My hands slid down his chest, marveling at the smooth muscle that jumped underneath my touch. Seth's breathing was deep and raspy, his heartbeat accelerating against my skin. My own breathing became ragged as I looked into his deep, wanting gaze.

"No," I told him. "I'm not afraid."

I sealed those words by bringing my mouth up to meet his, one of my hands holding the back of his head like a steel vise. Seth responded instantly, his fingers skimming up my side to tangle in my mass of hair. His lips were hot against mine, but soft and unyielding, building up the kiss from sweet and hesitant to burning and passionate. His lips parted mine and all I tasted was cinnamon and sea spray, pure bliss as he continued to kiss me deeply. My hands now roamed up and over his chest and stomach, my back arching as his hot touch caressed the bare skin of my stomach under the sweatshirt.

I had never felt like this about anyone. I had never felt like this _with_ someone, and I doubted that anything would be able to compare. I broke away from Seth's lips for air, sucking in lung-fuls to try and clear the Seth induced haze that had fallen over me. Unperturbed, Seth's mouth hungrily kissed my cheekbone, my jaw line and down my throat, his fingers never ceasing their aching trace of the sensitized skin of my back and stomach. My lips found his neck and shoulder and I pressed air light kisses there, unable to hold back the sigh that had been building in my throat.

Seth's chest rumbled deeply, growling in response. Somewhere, deep down in my animalistic nature, suppressed by centuries of civilization, I knew that it wasn't a growl of warning or of anger; it was a growl of arousal. It shuddered through me and I lifted my lips from his skin, only to have them caught by his mouth again. His tongue traced the curve of my teeth and ignited my own tongue with cinnamon, filling my mouth with something that was undeniably Seth. I pulled on Seth's full bottom lip with my teeth, relishing in the sensation as he sucked in a surprised hiss, pressing against me with a renewed frenzy.

We were getting really heavy really quick, and that was like a bucket of ice water to me. I pulled away gasping, pushing gently against his heaving chest so that he understood. I could still feel every contour of him, and I was surprised to find that our heartbeats were pulsing in rhythm with one another; I couldn't look at his eyes though, because they were still burning streams of passion and heat into me every time I did. Our breathing was erratic and as we finally calmed down I was able to think. Well, not so much think as try to remember what we had been talking about. Had we been talking? We had been, right?

Finally I looked back up at him, watching as his eyes started to calm down, instead replaced by the glimmer of joy and hope that made me smile warmly at him. I let my hands trail up his stomach and chest with a feather light touch, feeling his shudders beneath my fingers. Hesitantly, they traced the moon's light that danced on the skin of his cheeks and forehead, his hot skin soothing the soreness from my muscles, which chose that moment to reappear.

I winced in pain at the ache of my shoulders became more pronounced, dropping my hands so that they rested on Seth's strong forearms. Somehow understanding my pain, Seth rolled off of me, subsequently turning me onto a more comfortable position on my left side. He spooned in behind me, drawing me against his torso with the arm draped over my stomach. Tenderly, his other hand slid underneath the sweatshirt, massaging heated circles into the sore, aching muscles of my back. He took his time working the knots out, and I felt my body melt into a state of ease. The massage felt incredibly intimate and of their own accord my hand intertwined the fingers of his free one, drawing it against my chest like I used to hold my stuffed pony when I slept as a kid.

Seth stopped massaging my back and laid his arm over the pillows, allowing me to nestle snugly against his body. I pillowed my head on his muscular bicep, feeling his lips in my hair. They pressed softly against the tender spot along the back of my skull, releasing a flood of warmth throughout the bruising, almost like Icy-Hot. He did the same to my sore shoulder, and I could feel his heat even through the thick sweatshirt. I sighed in content, letting my eyelids close in peace. I felt Seth take a deep breath, and realized that he felt as relaxed as I did. We were silent, but it was the peaceful silence that you get when words aren't needed. Unable to feel the cool air blowing through the opened window, it didn't take long before I fell back asleep. I hoped that somehow, somebody wouldn't come and wake us up at seven. Sleeping in with Seth sounded like heaven. I silently prayed that whatever happened after this moment, I would always have Seth with me. If I did, I would be eternally happy.

Too bad Fate had other ideas.

**Hate it? Love it? Have any ideas about what's going to happen next? Remember...reviews produce faster chapters ;)**


	9. Stories

**Hey guys! Here's the next chapter of True Beauty that I hope you all enjoy! I was surprised that, while this is by far the longest chapter I've done so far (unconciously btw) it was extremely easy to write. I went back and tried to edit it, but I knew that you were all waiting for it.**

**And...go!**

**Chapter Nine**

I blearily opened my eyes, woken up by something. I suffered a bit of disillusion for a moment, forgetting where I was. The spare room was a still a mess, but it was coated in darkness. A quick craning of my neck told me that sometime over the last few hours, Seth had closed the blinds to keep the sun out. I got a refreshing blast of ozone scented air and heard the dark clap of thunder as it rolled across the sky; there was a storm brewing.

My attention was averted to the original reason I'd woke up; Seth was playing with my hair. We had shifted positions while asleep. Seth now lay on his back, his left arm circled around me so that his fingers combed through my long hair languorously while his right hand was stilled intertwined with mine. My head was on his chest, his heart beat beneath my ear, and he rubbed soothing circles onto the back of my hand, which was lying on his stomach.

I didn't want to break the peaceful, cozy silence we were in, so I did the next thing that popped into my head. I turned my face into his skin and pressed my lips to the place where his pulse was strongest. I felt Seth tense up and then relax as he realized I was awake. His left hand traced a burning path from my neck to the small of my back, tightening his grip on me. Without any notice, his right hand, clasped tightly in my left, pulled at me, while his left pushed.

I was now conveniently on top of Seth, laying flush with his torso. He let out a deep, throaty chuckle at my startled expression, his hand flat on the skin of my back, underneath the sweatshirt. With a warm smile he pulled the arm that was still connected to his up, wrapping it around his neck. With a glint in his gaze, he kissed my lips softly, sweetly. I smiled against his mouth and pulled away.

"Good morning," he said, his voice holding a rich timbre that made me tremble. I felt my cheeks flame, and I focused my eyes down, away from his. I got a good view of the strong, russet colored skin of his throat and chest, smooth and sun kissed.

"Good morning," I whispered back, laying my cheek down so that my head was tucked beneath his chin. He pressed his lips once more to the top of my head, breathing me in. "What time is it?"

He chuckled again, the movement jostling under me. "Almost noon."

"Seriously?" I asked, looking up at him. His eyes were smiling down at me, just as joyous as his brilliant white grin. "So, would eating be out of the question?"

"Definitely not," he said. "One of the first things you'll learn here is that we never run out of food."

The comment was light, and playful, and I laughed alongside him, but I suddenly remembered that I was in a whole new territory now. I knew nothing, and had a lot to gain or lose. I had questions, but I was more concerned with trying to learn everything.

"Lorelai."

I looked up at Seth's hesitant tone. He was looking up at the ceiling, his jaw clenched and the muscles in his neck straining. My fingers carefully trailed his collarbone, moving up along the side of his neck, to trace his cheek. Feeling my touch, he looked back at me, taking a moment to lean into my hand.

"What is it?" I asked, wanting him to know that he could talk to me.

"The Elders are here to talk to you," he said, releasing a breath. I froze in confusion, wondering what the Elders would want with me. Mistaking my confusion for fear, Seth hurried on. "To explain to you what everything here means…with the whole…"

"Werewolf situation?" I finished, smiling. A corner of his mouth quirked up, relieved that I wasn't running.

"Technically, we're not Werewolves," he said, his tone musing. "We're considered Shape-shifters…the fact that we turn into giant wolves is just a coincidence. The Elders are here to answer any questions you may have and to give you the history of it all. We used to have bonfires when the histories would be told to all the new wolves, but we haven't had any new wolves recently."

I nodded, able to keep up. "I'm not going to get executed for knowing the secret, am I?"

His face blanched and for a moment, I didn't know whether he was going to be sick or if he was going to lose his temper again and take it out on the bed. After a tense few moments, the stricken expression receded. "No, Lorelai, they would never do something like that. You are too important."

I pulled Seth's face closer to mine, looking him in the eye. "I don't understand a lot…you're going to have to help me. But I'm willing to do whatever it takes to stay with you."

I pressed my lips against his, feeling his arms wrap around me. The kiss was brief but tender, and afterwards he leaned his forehead against mine, breathing softly. "Come on," he said finally, sliding out from under me and rising deftly from the bed. He grinned down at me, the muscles in his arms rippling in a way that made my heart speed up. "Rachel brought some things over, and I think we could use a shower."

"We're not taking one together, are we?" I asked, my eyebrows rising. His smile turned absolutely devilish.

"Only if you're a good girl."

I threw a pillow at him, scandalized. He caught it easily, and tossed it to the floor. A new look passed over his face; I saw it in the mischievous gleam in his chocolate gaze and the curl of his full lips. He became the predator, and I was his prey. "Now, why don't you be a good little girl and come here?"

I laughed, scooting myself up until my back hit the head board. With a skillful grace, Seth stalked me, taking one step at a time, looking every bit a coiled spring.

"Oh no," I told him mock-seriously. "I'm perfectly fine right here."

"Come now," he purred, inching closer. I saw the door for the bathroom hanging ajar and tried to calculate an escape route. Seth saw it in my eyes and tsked, wagging his finger at me. "Don't even think about it, little girl. Just come right over here."

"Little girl?"

A small giggle left my lips, and I adjusted my position; instead of being cornered, I was now on the opposite side of the King Sized bed. He braced his arms on the mattress, quirking his head at me in a gesture that was vaguely wolf-like. "Are we afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" he taunted.

I laughed, receiving a playful growl in return as Seth lunged at me from across the bed, his arms opened wide to wrap around me. I danced out of his way, balancing on the balls of my feet to skim the mess littering the floor as I hurried to the bathroom. I could taste victory on my tongue, my body a mere few inches from the door…

I was snared around the waist by two incredibly large, iron-strong arms, and picked up until my feet left the ground. Seth spun me around so that he was in between me and the bathroom, my body pressed firmly against his. He grinned down at me, enjoying this a bit too much, daring me to try and get away from him. His hands were on my shoulders, holding me to him, and I pressed my forehead to his chest, breathing in his skin lightly.

If I tried to evade him the usual way, if I tried to struggle my way out, he would win; what was worse was that he knew he would win. The competitive streak in me was presenting itself; I wanted to disarm him, to completely trick him so that I would get into the bathroom first. And at this point, I only had one thing going for me…

I relaxed my body against his, my soft curves molding to his hard planes like a puzzle piece. I pressed open-mouthed kisses along his chest and collarbone, my fingers tracing patterns alongside his ribcage. His hands tightened on my shoulders and I felt his skin jump at my touch, a small victory in and of itself. Slowly, taking my time, I let my fingers trail down to the skin of his hips, teasing along the waist band of his sweat pants. I was very close to loosing my nerve, but I tilted my head back to look up into his face.

Seth's eyes seemed to have become richer in color, burning with an unnerving and butterfly-inducing hunger that made me wonder what would happen if we forgot about the bathroom entirely. _Whoa, girl_, I thought to myself. _That would be giving him a victory…and we don't want him to win._

With an impish grin, I spun away from Seth, detaching myself and smoothly getting between him and the bathroom. Quickly I retreated inside, locking the door behind me at the same time that I felt Seth standing on the other side. I could hear the low growl through the door and allowed myself a small victory dance. I had used my womanly wiles against the Big Bad Wolf and won! I caught the end tail of what he was saying, something along the lines of, "…will be the death of me…" I giggled, delighted.

"Care to share with the class, Mr. Clearwater?" I asked, goading him a little.

"This isn't over, Miss Savione," he returned, his voice huskier and with an edge that made my toes curl. "Enjoy your shower."

And that I did.

I stood under the scalding water, lathering myself up with pomegranate body wash and coconut scented shampoo. I had a sneaking suspicion that this was Leah's room whenever she stayed here; I somehow just couldn't picture Seth walking down the super market picking out fruity cleansers. Not that I could really see Leah doing that either, but at least it was more plausible. Although, it did provide a hilarious mental image, as I laughed under the spray of water.

Most of the soreness I had wasn't visible, just sore muscles that loosened up with the help of the hot water. However, my arms were covered in faint red scratches, and I knew from looking in the mirror that my shoulder, while not life threatening, was still pretty bad. My entire right shoulder blade looked like a mottling of purple and blue from the bruising, and the gash was angry. I took extra care with the loofah and soap, wincing as it stung.

I tried not to take too long, stepping out of the shower and toweling off with one of the blue, terry cotton towels hanging on the shower rack. A small duffel bag sat by the linen closet, with a note attached to it. My name was spelled (incorrectly, but I didn't mind) in a very feminine handwriting that I suspected belonged to Rachel. Curious, I bent down and unzipped the duffel, flipping the note over in my hand.

Loreli –

I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of washing your things, your dad's too, with his permission. Most of it is still over here in the washer, but I packed some things of mine that I think will fit you. I'll be stopping by later tonight with everything. Welcome to the Family.

Rachel Black

My eyes widened in surprise; it was really sweet of Rachel to do that for me and my dad, but I felt a bit weird about it. I think it was her way of trying to comfort and ease me into the whole craziness. I was going to need to thank her for everything.

I was grateful that among the pair of dark wash jeans and ice blue cashmere sweater that belonged to Rachel, my underwear was included. Say what you want…I was not comfortable wearing somebody else's underwear, even if it had been washed a thousand times. That's just wrong.

I rubbed the water from my hair with the towel, deciding to let it air dry. I ran a brush I found in one of the pull out drawers through its tangles, plaiting it into a neat braid down my back and tying it off with the hair tie around my wrist. Hurriedly I changed into my underwear and the jeans and sweater, noticing the soft fabric against my skin. Tucking my feet into a pair of cotton socks, I tidied up the bathroom, taking the time to rub some concealer on the dark circles underneath my eyes.

I pulled the long braid over my shoulder and picked up the duffel bag, unlocking the door and letting the clouds of steam escape. I was surprised to see that the spare room was put back in some kind of order. The drapes had been readjusted so that they were lying correctly over the opened window, where I could see the darkened sky swirling. The bed had been made, the shredded comforter removed and traded for a set of mismatched blankets that looked hand-made. The splinters of the chair were gone, and the desk propped back up, the books that had fallen all over the floor placed back on the shelves. Order had come back, and I had a feeling that it was Seth's doing. I shook my head with a smile, dropping the duffel on the bed and watching the trees swinging violently against the wind.

Something caught my ear and I turned towards the door, blushing and dropping my eyes immediately. Seth stood in the doorway, his hair dripping wet and his bare chest glimmering from the drops of water. Seth laughed. "Lorelai, you can look at me. I'm not indecent."

I bit my lower lip and smiled, looking up at him. True to his word, he was wearing a pair of well-worn jeans, hung low on his hips. He smiled at me, a teasing quirk to his lips. He shook his hair out, water droplets flinging all over and just missing me.

"Bad dog," I warned, keeping my voice stern. He shrugged his shoulders, unable to keep the wide smile off of his face he moved across the room in a few long strides, gathering me into his strong arms for a hug. He pressed his lips to my forehead, smelling strongly of the mint shampoo he used. My arms wrapped around his warm waist, his skin smooth and firm.

"Aren't you going to put on a shirt?" I asked. Not that I minded, really. I think that I preferred him without one. His chest vibrated as he laughed.

"No," he replied calmly. "It's kind of a Shifter thing."

I recalled the rest of the guys being shirtless most of the time, and pondered it. Seth turned so that his left arm was draped over my shoulders and my right arm around his waist. "Come on," he said, leading me to the door. "The Elders are here."

I swallowed my fear, my arm tightening in grip. Seth rubbed up and down my arm soothingly, offering me a warm smile as we walked towards the kitchen, which was strangely empty compared to the usual horde of people. I raised my questioning gaze to Seth's dark chocolate orbs.

"Everyone is at Rachel and Paul's this morning," he explained. We walked into the kitchen, where a small group of adults, some of who I recognized from Seth's La Push tour, were gathered, listening intently. Jacob and Sam were also there, arguing vehemently. Actually, it seemed that Sam was arguing vehemently, and that Jacob was calmly answering. Never had I assumed that Sam was capable of really loosing his cool; but I remembered the day that I had first come to La Push, when Jacob had walked out of the woods, immediately suspicious of me in a way that Sam hadn't been. I had had this gut feeling that impressing Jacob, not Sam, was very important. Now, I had a clue as to why.

I didn't know much about Werewolves, or Shape-shifters for that matter, but I did know a little bit about wolves in general, something I'd picked up from travelling to exotic places where the wilderness _was_ the city. Wolves had Alphas, who ruled the roost; all of the other wolves were submissive to the Alpha, unless one challenged the Alpha for power. The most dominant usually won. Out of the two men in front of me, I had a feeling that Jacob was the more dominant of the two.

"Boys," Quil Sr., the silver haired man I'd met the other day, warned, ending the argument with his weathered tone. These men might be mutant wolves, dangerous and powerful, but they respected the Elders without question. Jacob eased himself into a seat next to his father, Billy, who was looking at me fondly, as if he would look at a daughter or niece. A crocheted blanket was laid over his lap, concealing his wheelchair from view as he patted his son's hand softly. Jacob smiled, his dark eyes on Sam's still seething form.

Old Quil lifted his clear, dark eyes to me and smiled, taking the cup of coffee that Sue Clearwater, the only other person in the room, had offered. She had been busying herself with making coffee and scones, setting them down on the kitchen table. She smiled happily at me and Seth, looking at our arms around each other. "Hello, Lorelai," Old Quil said, nodding his head at Seth. "It's good to see you again."

I smiled back, leaning into Seth for support. My nerves were in bundles and I pulled my bottom lip through my teeth. I hated being nervous. "It's good to see you too."

"Before we begin, I was hoping that you might give us your opinion on something," he continued, ignoring the look of shocked fury on Sam's face.

"Are you kidding? Sir, I don't think that Lorelai is adept enough to make this kind of decision," Sam said, outraged. Seth growled in warning, glaring at Sam. In return Sam turned a baleful eye on us, snarling in his throat. Jacob was on his feet, ready to intervene, but Quil Sr. raised his hand.

"Enough, Samuel," he silenced. His wise eyes lighted on Seth, who quieted the moment the Elder had spoken. I could feel his arm tighten around me, and I let my fingers rub his back and waist, trying my best to calm him down. "Lorelai is an unbiased party who I believe is a very intelligent and logical young woman."

"Unbiased? She's Seth's imprint!" Sam exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. Imprint? What did that mean? I looked at Seth but he was still glaring at Sam. I'd save it for the Q&A session later. Turning back to Sam, I noticed the worn expression on his face, the circles under his eyes that were a sign of exhaustion. Emily was about ready to pop, and it was wearing thin on him.

Billy Black looked to me patiently. "Lorelai, has Seth explained to you anything about the pack dynamics yet?"

My brow furrowed in confusion. "Pack dynamics?"

Seth answered for me. "No, sir, I haven't." Jacob and, I was surprised to see, Sam nodded, relaxing back into their chairs. Quil Sr. continued on with a gentle smile for me.

"I'm going to give you a situation, and I'd appreciate your honest answer," he said. I nodded, glancing up at Seth. His face was held in stern calm, the look forced and alien on him. Seth was the type of person who needed to be in motion all the time. I looked back at the Elder, waiting. "The situation is thus. Two teenage boys are attending one high school. They are not happy there and wish to leave. Now, there is a neighboring high school that they wish to transfer into; it offers all the same academic and athletic credentials, but has the benefit of something else. They have family there. And, the school is ready to welcome them with open arms. What would be your advice?"

I blinked, albeit sort of confused by the situation that the Elder Quileute had told me. It was obviously an analogy for something, but I wasn't sure just exactly what it was for. Sam and Jacob looked at me, waiting for my answer. I looked back up at Seth, who nodded in encouragement. I looked at Billy, Sue, and finally at Old Quil, allowing myself to process everything before speaking.

"The two high schools are identical, apart from the fact that the one they want to go to has family, correct?" Old Quil seemed pleased by my question and nodded in affirmation. "Then I would tell them to transfer schools. Technically there's nothing different about them, except for the fact that the boys have family over there and that they want to go there. That being said, they should transfer."

Sam thundered to his feet, sending his chair to the floor. Jacob was standing before I had time to blink, angling himself in front of the Elders while Seth quickly moved me behind him, my face pressed into the deep V of his shoulder blades. Without looking back Sam stormed out of the house, leaping off of the porch and heading for the woods. We stood in a tense silence for a few moments, before Jacob returned to his chair, stretching out his long legs in front of him. Sue handed him a scone and a coffee, and I watched as everyone slowly started to relax.

"I assume that whatever I just said means that I voted for Jacob?" I asked, peering around Seth's immobile body. Jacob and Quil Sr. laughed, deep throated.

"You could say that," Jacob said, winking at me. "It's the Council's decision anyway. They just wanted an outside perspective."

I smiled, happy to help in some way that would make me relax around the esteemed Elders. I looked back at Seth, my smile dying on my face. He was standing rigidly, glaring at his back door, at the spot where Sam had left. His hands were balled into fists at his sides, quivering slightly. Jacob saw it and stood up, his hands outreached towards me as if he was planning to grab me from Seth.

I didn't know a lot (hell, I didn't know _anything_ about what was going on yet) but between Seth's shaking limbs and Jacob's movements, I had a feeling that Seth was about to lose what control he had. A vision of Emily flashed passed my eyes; is that what happened? Did Sam lose his temper while she was standing nearby? I flashed Jacob a warning look, forcing him to freeze. I moved around to stand in front of Seth, my hands tracing the curve of his arms and shoulders, locking around his neck. I jerked his head down, breaking his eye contact with the spot he'd been glaring into.

"Seth, look at me," I whispered, feeling like I was talking to a statue. When he didn't respond I reached up onto my toes and pressed my lips to his, feeling his arms wind around me gently. His shoulders relaxed as he woke up out of his quiet rage, pulling away to kiss the tip of my nose softly.

"Thank you," he whispered, so low that only I could hear. I smiled, kissing his mouth once more before stepping out of his arms.

"Anytime," I said.

"You're a fast learner and an expert observer," Quil Sr. said, obviously pleased. "Come, sit down. Have one of Sue's scones…you both must be starving."

Seth grinned, taking a chair next to Jacob, who clapped him on the shoulder fondly. He whispered something too low for me to hear in Seth's ear, who nodded. I sat down next to Sue, who placed two scones and some sliced mangos onto a plate in front of me. "Coffee?" she asked.

I practically fainted when I smelled the strong java, my mouth watering. I hadn't had caffeine since I'd left the hotel, and my withdrawal became painfully aware at that moment. "Please," I replied. I declined her offer for sugar or creamer, drinking it black. If they had it, I usually had caramel and cinnamon with my coffee, a habit I'd picked up when I was very young when travelling. I couldn't remember exactly where I had picked it up, but I remember that once I tasted the smoky-sweet flavor of the coffee, I had never gone back.

"So, Lorelai," Billy said with the same white grin that his son had. "I'm sure that you have questions. Now is the time where you can ask anything you wish. If we know the answer, we'll tell you."

"If?" I asked. Jacob shrugged his shoulders.

"We can tell you the histories of our people, the way we assume that our Wolf gene came to be. We can't, however, tell you the scientific basis of it all."

I nodded, taking a long drag of coffee into my system. "So, you are all Elders?"

"The Quileute Elder Council is made up of us, as well as Samuel and Jacob," Billy confirmed with a small nod.

"Should Sam be here?" Jacob asked, glancing at Seth. To his credit, Seth rolled the question off, taking a bite of the scone he was eating.

"Lorelai is Seth's, which means she's a part of your pack now," Old Quil said. "Sam will be back after he blows off some steam, but his presence is not required here."

Jacob nodded. I spoke again. "So, Jacob is the Alpha, right?" Everyone looked at me. Old Quil smiled. I quickly continued. "Seth may not have explained anything to me, but I assumed that a normal wolf's behavior applied here."

Sue grinned at her son. "You've got one smart cookie here." Seth blushed, looking bashful as he glanced at me.

Billy answered. "There are two packs of La Push wolves. The La Push Pack, whose Alpha is Sam, and the Pacific Coast Pack, whose Alpha is Jacob."

"Who belongs to which pack?" I asked, my hands circling the hot mug and raising it to my lips. Better to get the easiest questions out first.

"As of today," Old Quil said, garnering an approving nod from Billy. "The La Push Pack includes Sam, the Alpha, Jared, the Beta, Paul, Brady, Collin, the twins, Tommy and Tuck, Cale and Zach. The Pacific Coast Pack includes Jacob, the Alpha, Leah, the Beta, Seth, Quil, Embry, Gabriel, and now, Andrew and Simon."

I categorized them all in my head, going back to that first day when I had first met the packs. Only now did I realize that their separate entrances had been the division between the two. Jacob beamed when he heard about the two new additions of his pack.

"When do you want to make the transition?" Billy asked, his black eyes peering at his son.

"As soon as possible," Jacob replied seriously. Seth nodded in agreement. Sue pulled out a leather notebook and a fountain pen, opening it up on the table. It looked like some kind of record keeper, and from the lists of names and years, I could see that it kept everything from birth and death records, to school attendance, to marriages, and now, an in-depth record of the two packs.

"We'll make the record known as soon as their loyalty switches," she said, shocking me with her authority. I had assumed that Billy or Quil Sr. held the most power; apparently, I was wrong. "You'll let us know?"

Jacob nodded, his teeth bright against his russet colored skin as he smiled.

"Um…what's a Beta?" I asked, getting everyone's attention once more. I blushed in embarrassment, finding my coffee very interesting at that moment.

"It's what we call our second's, the wolf who will take over if anything were to happen to the Alpha. Jared is Sam's Beta, and Leah is mine," Jacob answered, his tone easy. I was relieved that he wasn't treating me like some ignorant outsider; he was more than willing to answer my questions.

"Leah's the only female wolf?" I asked surprised, not recalling any other female names on the list that the Elders had just told me.

"She's an oddity as far as we've come across," Quil Sr. said. Seth quirked his lips, an action that was mirrored by his Alpha, as if they were sharing some inside joke. "Had Rachel and Rebecca been in La Push at the time, they would have most likely phased as well."

"Rachel and Rebecca? Your sister?" I looked to Jacob.

"Sister_s_," he corrected. "Rebecca moved to Hawaii and got married. Rachel was in college."

"But, if they have the same parents as you," I said, nodding to him. "Wouldn't they change anyway? Why would their location matter?"

Billy cleared his throat, looking at me with a smile. "Because," he said, his voice holding a cadence not un-similar to those of cultural storytellers. It had the ability to captivate and mesmerize with the simplest of words. "The gene which allows us to phase only becomes prominent in the presence of our enemy."

I looked at him, unable to comprehend. Billy continued. "I'm going to tell you our histories, which might help explain things. They are the stories that the boys here," he shook his head fondly at Jacob, who ducked his head sheepishly, "initially thought of as Legends. We now appropriately call them the Histories."

I settled into the back of my chair, picking apart my second scone and popping the pieces into my mouth. Seth got up from his chair, pulling it with him so that he sat next to me. Sue tried to hide her smile, but ultimately failed, standing up to refill everyone's mugs with fresh coffee. Seth draped his arm over the back of my chair, giving me a sly grin. My eyebrow raised at him, just as he scooted my chair over so that it was touching his.

I laughed, leaning back against his side, my head lolling on his chest. His left hand moved so that it lay across my shoulders, his long, hot fingers intertwining with my right hand. He kissed my forehead and then my temple, his other hand playing with my long braid endlessly. More comfortably situated, Billy continued.

"The first story is about the Spirit Warriors," Seth whispered, his voice deep in my ear.

Jacob shifted towards Billy, our cue to pay attention. "The Quileute's have been a small people from the beginning. And we are a small people still, but we have never disappeared. This is because there has always been magic in our blood. It wasn't always the magic of shape-shifting…that came later. First, we were spirit warriors.

"In the beginning, the tribe settled in this harbor and became skilled ship builders and fishermen. But the tribe was small, and the harbor was rich in fish. There were others who coveted our land, and we were too small to hold it. A larger tribe moved against us, and we took to our ships to escape them. Kaheleha was not the first spirit warrior, but we do not remember the stories that came before his. We do not remember who was the first to discover this power, or how it had been used before this crisis. Kaheleha _was _the first _Great_ Spirit Chief in our history. In this emergency, Kaheleha used the magic to defend our land."

I was completely engrossed with the stories; this was the kind of thing that my dad and I loved about what we did. Uncovering ancient history and the secrets it still held. The stories and the struggles of the people who walked this land thousands of years before us now was my initial passion for pursuing my career. Yes, I had been raised in it. But my dad had offered, multiple times in the past, to support me in any possible way if I had chosen to follow a different path. But this was in my blood, and I loved it.

The Quileute people were in a league all their own. They kept their traditions and culture alive in the present, passing down stories of their history orally. I'm sure that there was a record of the stories, to keep them preserved for years to come (it could have been in Sue's leather notebook) but you could feel its power, its strength, by merely listening to the right person.

I listened to the Spirit Warrior's first great victory…I listened to Utlapa's betrayal of Taha Aki, and of the Great Chief's union with the wolf who had helped him…how his great anger had helped him shift from wolf to man in front of his people…how they learned of the spirit wolves' anti-aging, something that made me stiffen in surprise. Seth couldn't age, not unless he gave up being a wolf. My fingers tightened on his, and he responded with a gentle squeeze.

"That is how the magic came to us, but it is not the end of the story…" Billy said, pulling me back into the vivid world he had created for me to see. I felt as if I were watching a movie, the histories being played out in colorful detail before my eyes.

"That was the story of the spirit warriors," Old Quil said, picking up where Billy had left off. "This is the story of the third wife's sacrifice. Many years after Taha Aki gave up his spirit wolf, when he was an old man, trouble began in the north, with the Makahs. Several young women of their tribe had disappeared and they blamed it on the neighboring wolves, who they feared and mistrusted. The wolf-men could still read each other's thoughts while in their wolf forms, just like their ancestors had while in their spirit forms. They knew that none of their number was to blame. Taha Aki tried to pacify the Makah chief, but there was too much fear. Taha Aki did not want to have a war on his hands. He was no longer a warrior to lead his people. He charged his oldest wolf-son, Taha Wi, with finding the true culprit before hostilities began."

Goosebumps ran up my skin as the Elder continued with the chilling story. There was a tightness around everyone's mouths as Old Quil spoke, as if the story was more disturbing to them now than it had once been. I saw a muscle in Jacob's jaw twitch a few times, and made a note to ask about it later. I shivered as Old Quil described in detail what Yaha Uta had been through with the beast that had killed the Makah maidens. Seth's arms tightened around me as he pressed his lips to the top of my head, comforting me.

I gasped when Billy pulled out the leather thong hanging from his neck, a blackened bag swinging from it. The part of me which was disturbed and slightly awed from the histories wanted to know if what was in the bag was true. But then I remembered that Seth could transform into a huge wolf, and knew that the histories were real. The other part of me, the treasure hunter I guess you could call it, wanted to examine its contents, analyze its age and value. The former part overrode the latter.

"They called it The Cold One, the Blood Drinker, and lived in fear that it was not alone. They only had one wolf protector left, young Yaha Uta," Quil Sr. said, taking a long drink of coffee. Unable to hold back my comments, I interrupted.

"Do you mean Vampires? Dracula, Nosferatu…turn into bats, sleep in coffins, allergic to garlic?" I asked, desperately hoping that someone said no. An earlier thought I'd had yesterday popped into my head again. _How many more legends were actually true?_

"Vampires, yes," Jacob said, a small smirk quirking his mouth. "Dracula, bats, coffins, etcetera, no."

My questions died in my throat, and I slid a mango slice to ease the dryness that had come over me. With a new rapture I listened about the Cold Woman and her unnatural beauty…my mouth hung open as I listened to the Third Wife's Sacrifice as she tried to protect the young sons who had not yet reached manhood…the Great Chief's self imposed exile as he fled in grief…

"Trouble with the cold ones was rare from that time on. Taha Aki's sons guarded the tribe until their sons were old enough to take their places. There were never more than three wolves at a time. It was enough. Occasionally a blood drinker would come through these lands, but they were taken by surprise, not expecting the wolves. Sometimes a wolf would die, but never were they decimated again like the first time. They'd learned how to fight the cold ones, and they passed the knowledge on, wolf mind to wolf mind, spirit to spirit, father to son. Time passed, and the descendents of Taha Aki no longer became wolves when they reached manhood. Only in a great while, if a cold one was near, would the wolves return. The cold ones always came in ones and twos, and the pack stayed small."

"There is one more story, but that one is for another time," Billy said. I saw Jacob bob his head in agreement. Whatever the last story was, it was very important. I took a deep breath, smelling cinnamon, juniper wood, and sea spray, and sat up, placing my arms on the table.

"So, the reason why the wolf gene is triggered is because of the presence of vampires? Which means that everyone," I motioned to Jacob and Seth, "-was here when vampires came to town? Why Rachel and Rebecca didn't phase?" I confirmed. The Elders nodded. "But, the stories say that the pack is never more than three or four because of the low vampire numbers. So how can you have close to twenty wolves now?"

"This leads into the next part of the story," Seth said, covering my arms and hands with his. "I've been given the privilege to tell you the last story, but there's something that you must understand first."

I could tell by the nervous tick in Jacob's clenched jaw and the passion in Seth's voice that it was imperative I comprehend what they were about to say. I nodded, wanting to know more.

"The Cold Ones, the Vampires our ancestors faced, were ruthless nomads, wild, unpredictable, and uncontrollable. They were vicious and cruel, with no real sense of empathy towards humans, or towards us. They drank human blood at their own pleasure, feeding their sadistic nature. Today, however, they have evolved. In their own way, the Vampires have a governing system to keep them in check. They still drink human blood and most are still sadistic and cruel, but not all of them. Those particular vampires who aren't only kill for survival and do it humanely, if that's even the right word for it. And even some have switched to drinking the blood of animals only; they abstain from humans."

"So, there are bad Vampires, okay Vampires, and good Vampires?" I repeated in layman's terms. Jacob laughed once, deep and breathy.

"Pretty much. Seth will tell you the rest later, but you understand that, like there are evil people and benevolent people in the human world, the same relates to Vampires. It's a concept that we had never grasped before, and with good reason. Be that as it may, we have _very_ good reason to adjust now."

"I understand," I said. And I did. When explained in context, it was an easy concept to grasp. "But why are there two packs?"

Seth laughed, shaking me. "This one is yours, Jake."

Jacob grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "Sure, sure." His black eyes looked at me, a teasing glint shining in their depths. "I'm a double-dog, or at least, that's what they call me. I have the wolf gene on both my dad's side and my mom's side. Because Ephraim Black, our last chief and Alpha of the wolves, is my grandfather, by birthright, I should be the Alpha."

"It's also why he's the largest and strongest of us, in both human and wolf form," Seth mused. It was true; Jacob was massive. He towered over me at nearly seven feet, and he was built like a body-builder. Yet despite his obvious authority, he had a softness about him that made me think that had he been my brother, we would have spent a lot of time rough-housing and hanging out.

"When I first phased, Sam had already been Alpha for some time, coaching the others as they came. He had offered me the position but I refused; I had no desire to be Alpha. Instead, I became his Beta. The official story is that Sam gave an order that I refused to comply with. Because I naturally was more dominant, I could defy him. However, Sam wasn't willing to give up his rank, and I wasn't going to fight him. One of us would have had to die. Instead, I broke off, running lone wolf."

"Leah and I broke off and went after him, and we formed the second pack," Seth piped in for my benefit. "I was young and Jake was my idol, so I was eager to follow him wherever he went. That, and I too didn't agree with the order Sam had given us. I just couldn't challenge his authority like Jake. Leah had her own reasons for switching, and after a couple of weeks, Quil and Embry switched over. They were Jake's wingmen, so it made sense for them to transfer."

"Are transfers common?" Seth shook his head, but it was Jacob who answered.

"After the split, I wanted to keep the peace. Sam and I came to an agreement that he would get all the newbies and we'd split the training. Different Alphas, different views. If someone wanted to transfer, we'd take it before the Elder Council and get it approved. Gabriel switched and it didn't cause a stir because Sam still held the substantially larger pack. I wasn't after numbers, and I knew that Sam felt insecure about the issue because he knows that, if it came down to it, I would win a fight against him. Having a larger pack helps him feel in control. However, with Simon and Andrew with me, it draws the two packs into near identical numbers. That's why Sam reacted so violently."

"He was out of line," Seth growled. I squeezed his hands reassuringly.

"I know man, he was," Jacob agreed. "I'm just explaining why."

"You said that that was the official story," I said, looking at Jacob's face carefully. "What's the unofficial story?"

Jacob laughed, running a hand through his hair. "That will also fall under the category of things that Seth will tell you later."

I laughed, surprised when Billy, Old Quil and Sue joined in. Sitting around the kitchen table, it was suddenly very difficult for me to grasp this whole situation as anything but normal. Shape-shifters and vampires and who knew what else…not a single one of these people were weird or outlandish. They had families and friends and wives and girlfriends and were like normal people. Thinking like that made digesting this a whole lot easier.

A sudden beeping broke our comfortable laughter, and Jacob answered the small silver cell phone from his pocket. "Hey, Carlisle, what's up?"

That was an odd name. And it sounded extremely familiar, like I'd heard it recently. Jacob looked at Seth. "Carlisle wants to know if he can check out Lorelai's shoulder and head, make sure everything's okay." To me he said, "Carlisle is a doctor. He's, well equipped to deal with whatever we may throw."

So Carlisle was in on the Shape-shifter secret. I wondered how that all worked. I understood why they had told me; I might have gone screaming insane without the explanation after what I'd seen. But unless this Dr. Carlisle had seen one of them change, I couldn't see why the Quileute's would let him in on the secret. I nodded at Seth, who gave the okay to Jacob. "Yeah? I'll extend the invitation to the others. We will definitely be there. Alright. Thanks, Carlisle."

With that Jacob hung up the phone, sliding the device back in his pocket. "We've all been invited to a BBQ by Esme. Alice is in one of her party planning moods and she wants to meet Lorelai."

I blinked in confusion. I rationalized Dr. Carlisle wanting to check on me (they had probably called it in after Jacob brought me back from the woods), but who was this Esme person? And Alice? My head was starting to hurt.

Seth rolled his eyes. "We going?"

"Yeah. I'll put out a call to the others. It's open to everyone," he said, nodding to the Elders. "That includes you guys."

"I'll make my potato salad," Sue smiled, making a note to herself in her planner.

"Charlie going to be there?" Billy asked his son.

"Probably," he said, grinning at Sue. "Anything to see his lady love."

"Hey, man, watch it," Seth warned, winking at me. "That's my mom you're talking about."

Sue blushed, swatting the back of Seth's head. I blinked, suddenly remembering one of my earlier questions. I turned my eyes on Jacob.

"What's an imprint?"

_*Excerpts about the Quileute legends come from Chapter 11: Legends from Eclipse, created and owned by Stephanie Meyer_

**Haha! Left you hanging, didn't I? Well, you know what to do. Please, please, please review! I want to know your thoughts! **


	10. Soap Opera

**Alright, so this seriously was massive. I actually needed to step away from it for a couple of days, because I honestly just wanted to skip to the meat of the story. But, alas, I had to have everything explained to Lorelai lol...now that the two longest and quite frankly, redundant chapters (seeing as how most of you fabulous readers have read the Twilight Saga and know most of this) are over, we can get to it! Woo hoo! **

**Side note: A lot of you have messaged me wondering if Lorelai is going to be a Dhampiresa (half-human, half-vampire like Nessie) and the answer is no, she is not. However, I would love to hear from you guys about your thoughts on what Lorelai actually is...and maybe if you're right, I'll tell you :)**

**Here...we...go...**

**Chapter 10**

"Seth, I guess that's your cue to tell her the rest," Billy said with a laugh. Old Quil stood up and nodded to Seth, grinning from ear to ear. Sue grabbed her things and moved to get Billy's wheelchair. The Elders were taking their leave.

"We'll see you tonight," she said. With that, they left, whispering and chuckling like old friends do. Jacob stretched to his feet, popping several bones in his hands as he did so.

"Lorelai, if you have any more questions, feel free to ask Seth. Seth, you can tell her everything…you were there and saw what happened as much as anyone else did. I'll see you both later tonight, and then we'll get you properly introduced to everyone, alright Lorelai?"

I smiled, grateful for the time and care Jacob was taking to get me situated in this life of his. "Thanks, Jacob."

"Sure, sure," he replied, winking. I laughed, turning to Seth, who looked so embarrassed I didn't think that he could get any redder. Jacob left through the back door, his long strides carrying him to the woods and out of sight.

"So," I said, turning halfway in my seat so that I could see Seth's face. He was staring at the stove, his jaw clenched in nervous tension. I traced his cheek with hesitant fingers, stopping when his eyes caught mine.

"You remember the reason Taha Aki gave up his spirit wolf, right?" he whispered. We were alone in his house, but the way he spoke…it was like he was giving up a secret of himself and was unsure of how I would take it. I scooted closer to him, feeling his arms wind around my waist.

"He loved his Third Wife enough to give it up," I said.

"Yes, but it was more complicated than that," Seth said, his eyes burrowing inside of mine. "You said you believed that a normal wolf's behavior applied to us, and it does. Well, wolves have mates, life-time partners. So do we."

My heart was hammering inside of my chest, my pulse in my ears like a roaring echo. And two words kept pounding through my skull…_Soul-mate…Soul-mate…Soul-mate…_

"Soul-mates," I whispered. Seth nodded.

"Before the first time we phase, a lot happens. In the weeks building up, we complete our physical maturation. We get stronger, faster, and develop better senses of sight, sound, and smell. We run a high temperature, around 108, and we heal at a regenerative pace. When we phase for the first time, it's the scariest thing in the world. You see in a red haze, and your body feels like its trembling so bad that you're going to explode. And when you do explode, it's one of the most disorienting experiences you've ever encountered. You don't know what's happened or happening, and when you try to talk, you bark…"

I wrapped my arms around Seth, burrowing my face in his shoulder. His voice shook in emotion, and all I wanted to do was make him feel safe. To comfort and hold him. It was a ridiculous concept, me wanting to protect Seth, but there you go.

"The first change is usually triggered by an extreme emotional state…we're like pressure cookers, building and building until it finally just blows. Leah and I changed at the same time. We had gotten into a fight, it was something so stupid, we had been arguing over the remote, and we lost our tempers. We both exploded at the same time, while our mom was in the kitchen and our dad was walking in through the door. He had a heart attack, and didn't make it…"

His voice cracked, wrought with guilt. He blamed himself for his father's passing, and that was so heartbreaking that my eyes welled up and became glassy. Seth was so full of life, of sunlight and happiness; he was a pure soul, willing to love everyone around him without asking for anything in return. That he put a blame as great as his father's death on his own shoulders…it wasn't right.

I pressed my lips to his jaw line, hearing a small sigh escape his lips and his shoulders releasing the tension that had kept them rigid. He looked down at me with a smile, his fingers stroking my hair from my scalp to my back. In a deeper, more enthused voice, he continued.

"Afterwards, it's great. I love running for miles without getting tired. The telepathic communication is a cool feature to have, but can be kind of a pain. We have no secrets amongst one another; everything we think, memories that come to mind, everyone else sees them as if they were their own thoughts."

I pulled back and stared into his gaze, my fingers interlocking with his. His rough palms were hot against mine, and he looked down at them, bringing one of my hands to his lips. He kissed the back of my hand, looking back to me.

"There were legends that were associated with the Histories. One is that Vampires can have additional abilities to immortality, super strength, hearing and speed, gifts that make them unique. Another was that of imprinting. After we phase for the first time, there is a chance that we will find our soul-mate. But it's so…so…more." He took a breath, searching for the right words to continue. "It's as if everything that makes yourself you, your favorite foods and movies, your family and friends and enemies…the very essence of you, becomes inconsequential. In place of that is your imprint; she's everything to you. No matter what she needs, a friend, a brother, a protector, a lover…you become that for her. It's like a supernatural confirmation that this person is the only person made for you…she's perfect in any and every way."

A rippling of goose bumps shivered up my arms and the back of my neck. I knew a feeling similar to that. It was what had me so uptight and confused yesterday. The feeling that Seth and me had known each other for years…the way he could make me smile and laugh…the instinct that I _knew_ that he would keep me safe and protected…it was everything that Seth was describing to me now. But I wasn't feeling it the same way he was. Whatever it was, it was unique and special and breathtaking.

"Does the girl get a choice?" I mused, lowering my eyes beneath my lashes. I usually would have minded my free choice being taken away; the type of complete dedication that imprinting seemed to involve pretty much eliminated the woman's choice in the matter. But honestly, I didn't mind if I was with Seth for the rest of my life. I would happily sign on.

"Yes, she does," he replied, his timbre deep and tight. I could see the muscles in his jaw clench and unclench in agitation. He didn't like the idea of me being with another man. That was fine with me, because I don't think I would've reacted very well if I'd seen Seth with another woman. He sighed deeply. "If she was a lover, and no longer wished to be, than he would turn into a friend. Nothing more. He wouldn't push her if she didn't want him to. As long as she's happy, so is he."

"Sam said that I was your imprint?" I confirmed, butterflies dancing in my stomach. I bit my lower lip, anxious for his answer. I was 99.9% sure that I had heard right, and the way that I felt around him…it wasn't a normal flirtation or attraction. Seth was right…it was so much more than that.

"Yes," he said, unable to look me in the eye. "That first moment we met, it happened. Everyone who has imprinted understood what had happened even before I had time to really understand. All I saw was you."

"Seth," I said, my voice so quiet it was a breathy whisper. "Please look at me."

He did as I asked, his gaze glassy. I had tears in my eyes as I realized that Seth was worried I would reject him. That I'd call him crazy and turn my back on him. He needed me as much as I needed him. Even after seeing him as a huge wolf, learning that the world was a much larger, scarier place than I had originally thought, he still thought I was going to leave. It was breaking my heart, little by little.

"I'm not going anywhere," I said, making sure he was paying attention. "I've never had a choice, not since I met you. And, to be completely honest, I don't want a choice. The way I feel…I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I know that you're the one who imprinted on me, but I think that some part of me imprinted on you too. I want you, Seth. I want you and I need you."

Seth sighed again, untangling his hands so that they gingerly held my face. He kissed me slow and soft, tasting of cinnamon and coffee. With a small bit of hesitation he pulled back, our foreheads pressed together. "Lorelai Savione, you are the single most incredible woman I have ever met."

My eyes slid open, a deliriously happy grin on my face. I saw it echoed on Seth, his white teeth bright against his smooth, russet skin. "You're not too bad yourself, Seth Clearwater."

He kissed the tip of my nose, running his fingers through my hair. I pulled on my extensive memories for the questions I had wanted to ask. "Who has imprinted, and on whom?"

"Everybody in a relationship; Sam and Emily were first. Jared and Kim, Paul and Rachel, Embry and Melanie, Brady and Sarah, they're all a part of the imprint club," he laughed, shaking his head. "And now I am, too."

Rachel's words from two days ago popped into my head, and I smiled. She had been telling me about imprints before I even realized it.

"But we're not the only ones," Seth said, grabbing my attention again. "Quil has too, on Emily's niece, Claire. He imprinted on her six years ago, when she was two."

My eyes widened in shock. The rest of the pack had imprinted on someone their own age and were in a romantic relationship. How could Quil and Claire…?

"It's not like that!" Seth laughed, reading my expression perfectly. "He's been her older brother figure. Then they'll be friends, and then, eventually, become romantically involved."

"It's kind of weird, but I get it, which is even weirder," I giggled, shaking my head. "Do you have any idea _why_ you guys imprint? Why the universe decides to tell you, 'Yes, that's her!'?"

Seth shrugged his shoulders, obviously unperturbed by its relevance. "We don't know for sure. Billy has a theory, though. He thinks that we imprint on the person who will best carry on the bloodline for future generations. Better mates, stronger wolves."

"That's very clinical," I said. An image popped into my head at that moment. It was of one of the guys strolling the supermarket, down an aisle of women on display, with a giant sign saying, "Find the One Who Will Give You Many Pups!" It was such an archaic idea that I started laughing hard, losing my breath. Seth didn't know what I was laughing at, although I'm sure he'd find it funny, but the laughter was contagious, and soon we were in a fit to be tied. My sides ached, and I was struggling to breathe, and he wasn't faring much better.

I inhaled deeply, trying to desperately regain any sense of composure. Seth looked down at me, his eyes glowing in complete happiness. It was a look that I'd seen before, one that Sam had shown Emily, and Paul to Rachel. I had a feeling that it was an imprint thing, and I couldn't help but feel my toes curl in pleasure. I made Seth happy, and that was such a pleasant surprise for me that I couldn't think of anything better.

Rachel had said that before, in her young adult life, she had known Paul and couldn't stand him. It was only after she'd come home from college, and therefore after he had become a full fledged wolf, that they had begun a relationship. "Is it usually like this? I can't help but feel like this is a whirlwind romance."

He chuckled, kissing my cheek tenderly. "Every pairing is different. Each has their own set of drama, although I feel like the more powerful of a wolf you are, the more drama comes along. Especially with the Alphas…we could've written a soap opera off of them."

"How so?" I asked, intrigued. I looked at Sam and Emily and saw nothing but the love reflected in their eyes. But then I thought of Emily's gruesome scars and Leah's words of warning.

"Sam was the very first wolf of this generation to turn, and when he did he was completely alone," Seth said, his voice holding a grudging respect for the LPP Alpha. He still hadn't forgiven Sam for his outburst at me. "At that time nobody believed that the Histories were true; we all just thought that they were legends of our tribe and that the Elders were eccentric old people. Sam, at the time, had a high school sweetheart, who was not Emily Young."

My eyes widened in shock. Not Emily? Then who…

"He and Leah had been going strong for a while. They loved each other, but Sam was becoming increasingly moody and was experiencing a growth spurt that seemed to point to illegal activities. I could see his memories after I had first Shifted, he was trying to explain what was happening to me, and looking back on it I couldn't imagine going through it all alone. Only Old Quil had remembered seeing his grandfather shift and recognized the signs.

"He and Leah got into an argument and he stormed off, making the Shift. He wandered around for a few weeks, unable to understand what was going on. Leah was frantic, searching for him, enlisting the entire rez, even heading up to the Makah's to post flyers. Eventually Old Quil found him and explained everything, and told him that being around people was dangerous. Leah was both relieved and pissed when he came back, and they tried to make it work for a while, despite the warnings the Elders had. Then, our cousin came to town for a visit."

I could tell where this was going, and despite our differences, my heart went out to Leah.

"Sam imprinted on Emily, who, at the time, was like Leah's sister. Sam ended the relationship with Leah and pursued Emily, who rejected every advance he gave. She would not betray Leah in that way." I rubbed my hands over his smooth chest, unable to imagine the twisted love triangle. Seth was right; it could've been a soap opera.

"What changed?" I asked, looking up into his face. His eyes darkened and for a moment I was worried he wouldn't continue. But his arms tightened around me and he moved on with the story.

"Sam and Emily got into an argument and he lost control…she was standing too close," he said, his voice a tortured strain. "He retreated into himself, I mean he truly hated himself for hurting her, and somehow it brought them closer. Leah put on a brave face to support Emily, and after her own Shift everything was explained to her more fully."

I remembered the look of envy that passed over Leah's face as she gazed at a pregnant Emily and thought that she might not be completely over Sam. "Is that why she transferred to Jacob's pack?"

Seth smiled, kissing my hair. "You are very perceptive, you know that?"

I grinned, tracing patterns on his chest with my fingers. "I don't do well in my line of work without reading a situation," I said, pressing my lips to the corner of his mouth. He turned his head to give me a real kiss but I pulled away, a teasing glint in my eye.

"I still don't understand something," I said, leaning my weight against his strong arm which was casually wrapped around my back. "Why are there so many of you? Old Quil and Billy said that in the past there were usually no more than three at a time."

Seth nodded, twirling his long fingers around locks of my hair. It was very distracting, which I'm sure was his intention, but I held strong, despite the warm melting feeling I was getting in the pit of my stomach. "This is going to take some time to explain…" he murmured, skimming his nose along my jaw. My hands tightened on his shoulders, my heart beating wildly inside my chest. "Unless you'd rather do something else?"

His voice was deep and rich and extremely suggestive, and I felt my cheeks heat as I blushed. _Two can play at this game_, I thought mildly. Feeling slightly in control, I arched my back into him, my hands shifting to wrap into his hair as I pressed open mouthed kisses to his neck. His hands skimmed over my sides and my back restlessly as he kissed my collarbone, a low rumbling in his chest as I nipped his earlobe. He pulled me back in an effort to kiss my lips but I outsmarted him, slipping off of his lap and out of his reach.

His chocolate eyes looked dark and hungry, tracing every curve of my lips and neck and lower. I smiled angelically at Seth, batting my eyelashes. "I want to hear the story first," I told him seriously. He sighed, running a frustrated hand through his short, inky hair. With a slight quirk of his full lips he leaned back in his chair, extending his arms out to me as the picture of ease. I walked over to him and slid onto his lap, loving the way his arms curled around me protectively.

Seth took a deep breath to steady his voice before he began. "In the time of the last great chief, Ephraim Black, he and his two pack mates found that a larger coven of vampires were hunting on our land, about five of them or so. They were hunting the deer, not the women as in years past, and the leader spoke to Ephraim as a man, saying that they only lived on the blood of animals. Their eyes were golden in color, rather than blood red as the others, and they offered to make a truce with the tribe to keep the peace. Ephraim, while still wary, knew that they could have easily killed him and his pack, but that they didn't; he accepted the treaty and it stood for years.

"The coven left after a few years and things of the supernatural genre were pretty much non-existent," Seth smiled, his eyes watching me steadily. "Until a few years ago, when they returned to the area, now numbering seven. Of course, _we_," he emphasized, meaning the current wolves, "had no idea who or what they were, only that the Elders disliked the wealthy family living in Forks. Sam shifted about a year or two after they had moved here, the gene slower than in the past because it hadn't been activated in so many generations. But the soap opera only got more twisted from there."

I wrinkled my eyes in confusion, and he laughed softly, kissing the crease in between my brows gently. "I was doing really well keeping up, but now you lost me," I said, tilting my head back to look up at him. Even sitting in his lap I had to crane my neck back far enough to get a crick in it, but his arm was wrapped around my shoulder, and his constant heat massaged the muscles of my neck soothingly.

"Let me start by explaining in the simplest way how all of this worked. Jacob is basically the cause of the expansion of the pack numbers, but indirectly. It'll get confusing, so stop me at any time, okay?" I nodded and he continued. "About seven years or so ago, the Chief of Forks Police's daughter came to live with him. The Chief was best friends with Billy for a long time, and Jacob remembered the Chief's daughter from when they were little. He sort of developed a crush on her…she was two years older and treated him only as a friend or younger brother. The thing was, she got into a relationship with one of the good vampires from the coven.

"All the others had been paired up, mates, except for this one. Despite the recipe for disaster, they fell in love with each other. She knew what he was and loved him despite it. It nearly got her killed a couple of times."

"Did he try to kill her?" I asked, surprised and, much to my shock, understanding. I hadn't exactly fallen in love with a vampire, but my soul-mate was a Shape-shifting wolf, and I had just recently come to terms with the fact that I would never run from him. That, despite the relationship's fast pace, I would love him despite it all.

"No," he said. "A smaller group of nomadic vampires, ones who were sadistic, decided to hunt her down as a game. They couldn't understand why an entire coven of vampires, which is unusual for their kind to begin with, would go out of their way to protect a lowly human. The leader chased the Chief's daughter back down to Phoenix where he tried to kill her, but the coven destroyed him first. She had a broken leg and was in the hospital for a while, but was otherwise okay.

"A few months went by and they were celebrating her birthday. She cut her finger and one of the newer vampires, he wasn't as practiced in not drinking human blood as the rest, attacked. She was okay, but they left her behind, under the pretense that he didn't love her anymore."

"I'm going to need names in a second," I smiled, shaking my head.

"I don't want to give you their real names yet," he said secretively. "You'll find out why later on, but for now why don't we call the Chief's daughter Jane and her vampire boyfriend Joe, okay?"

I was suspicious as to why he wouldn't tell me their names but nodded for him to continue, my interest in the story and its relevance piqued.

"Okay, well, Joe made Jane believe that he didn't love her anymore and they left, all of them, leaving her in Forks, heartbroken. She was completely catatonic…she wouldn't eat or sleep and she looked like Hell. She had also become increasingly reckless, venturing out and getting two motorbikes that were more scrap metal than machine. She came by Jacob's place, knowing that he was a mechanic, to see if he could restore them. They became increasingly close, Jacob acting as a best friend for her, all the while harboring feelings for her, hoping that eventually she'd come to love him."

I took a deep breath, feeling as if everything was about to spiral out of control. We were now entering the second La Push love triangle, and this one had more supernatural intrigue to it than I had ever thought possible. The fact that Jacob had stepped in to help 'Jane' in her hour of need was commendable, but completely unwise. Even from the outside I could tell that she would never get over 'Joe', especially if he had been her true love. Maybe it was my feminine instincts that allowed me this perspective, but I already knew that this wouldn't end well.

"The pack was slowly starting to grow, there was a sadistic vampire murdering hikers in the mountains around La Push and Forks, and they couldn't get her. Her killing more and more innocents triggered the transformation of more and more wolves, and soon Jacob Shifted. It completely killed him, because Sam used Alpha orders to force Jake not to see or speak to Jane. She started to retreat within herself again. But Jake, being as crafty and determined as he is, found a loophole that allowed her to discover what he was. The secret they'd been keeping. She, in turn, enlightened them that the vampire they were after was actually after Jane; she was the grieving mate of the vampire that Joe had killed down in Phoenix and she was after revenge."

_Like the Cold Woman all over again_, I thought grimly. "What did you mean by Alpha orders?"

"The Alphas have an additional gift, a sort of reimbursement of their power. They can give orders that have a lock down on all of us, making it physically impossible to disobey. Sam had given orders to not tell anyone anything, and to stay away from people until the new wolves learned control. It was for the safety of the humans, as well as to protect our sacred secret."

"So, what happened after 'Jane' discovered everything?" I asked, intertwining my fingers with his.

"She spent nearly every day here at La Push where the pack could protect her. She and Jake were inseparable. But she wasn't done being reckless; she had seen the pack go cliff diving and decided not to wait for Jake to get back. She nearly drowned. That was the day my dad had the heart attack. It was also when one of Joe's 'sisters'," he said, using air quotes, "returned. She had a special gift, the ability to see the future, and had seen Jane jump off a cliff, thinking she had committed suicide. She was surprised to see Jane alive, and there was practically a showdown between her and Jake. Apparently, Joe had been spending his time in misery, and so his other 'sister', I guess you could call her the most vain one, called him to tell him that Jane was dead."

I gasped. How could someone be that cruel? To just call someone, your family, and tell them that their soul-mate is dead. Could they really be that heartless? Seth pressed his lips to my temple, soothing me before continuing the story.

"Joe decided that he would go to the Vampire Royalty, the Volturi, and ask them to kill him; he'd never stopped loving Jane, and in fact had lied when he said that he didn't love her. He feared for her life after what had almost happened at the party and had been trying to protect her by allowing her to live a normal, human life. Jane left with Joe's sister for Italy to stop him, against Jacob's protest. When she got back, so had the vampire coven, and Jane and Joe were back together, the past put behind them. Jacob was determined to win her from the vampire, but when they announced that after her high school graduation, she would voluntarily become a vampire, it was like all out war had broken out.

"The next couple of months it was like a tug-of-war between them, with the addition of discovering that in Seattle what they thought was a serial killer was actually a bunch of uncontrollable newborns. An army, in fact."

"Wait, what?" I asked, flashing back to my dad's worry about the uncaught serial killer. I had laughed and mentioned that it had been six years ago, nothing to be concerned about. "What's a newborn?"

"Brand new vampires, freshly transformed," Seth replied. "They are the strongest and fastest of the vampires since they still have so much human blood within them, and are also the most volatile and uncontrollable. Someone had been creating an army in Seattle to bring down here and annihilate the coven of vampires here. We, the wolves, stepped up to the plate and made an alliance with them, deciding to help get rid of the newborns. There was a huge battle, and I was newly Changed; in fact, I was paired up as a guard for Jane alongside Joe while everyone else battled the newborns in a clearing not too far from here.

"It turned out that the creator of the army was the same vindictive vampire from before, bent on killing Jane no matter the cost. She had made a lieutenant of sorts, and Joe and I dispatched of them both. Jacob had gotten hurt protecting Leah, but we didn't have much time, because, I guess you could call them the hit squad of the Volturi, were coming to inspect the problem. They didn't know about us, and so we left before they arrived. To make matters that much worse, Jacob finally made Jane realize that she loved both Joe _and_ him, and that she could make a choice." Seth looked down at me, the golden flecks around his pupils shimmering slightly. "She knew that, despite her love for Jacob, she couldn't live without Joe, and decided to be with him. It broke Jacob's heart, and drove him to roam the north as a full-time wolf, especially after their wedding announcement was made. I was invited."

I could detect the warmth in his voice whenever he spoke about Joe and his vampire family, as if he had a certain fondness for them. It was confusing, I mean, didn't the Vampires and Shape-shifters hate each other? But I couldn't expect anything less from Seth; he had a large heart and a kind soul.

"You like them?" I said, posing it as a statement more than a question. "The vampire coven, I mean."

He smiled, nodding his head. "I sort of bonded with Joe during the battle, and I didn't have any of the relationship prejudices that Jacob had towards them. They were a family, like us, protecting one of their own. I could relate to them."

I kissed his cheek, and he had to clear his throat before continuing on. "Jacob made a surprise appearance at the wedding, nearly losing it when he was given some unpleasant information about Jane and Joe's honeymoon. He returned to La Push and the pack, anxious for the day that they returned and we could declare war on them. I personally didn't want to fight them, like I said they were my friends, but Jake only saw it as a violation of the treaty. The peace was only kept as long as they didn't bite a human, and in order to become a vampire, Jane had to be bitten. It was only a matter of time…

"We received word that they had returned from their honeymoon, and that Jane had contracted a serious disease while in South America and that she couldn't see anyone. For Jacob, that was the cue that she was a bloodthirsty demon of the night, his words not mine, and demanded we attack. Sam, however, was hesitant. He wanted complete proof before waging a war that, to be honest, nobody seemed to want besides Jake. As far as we were concerned, Jane had made an informed decision and Jake was just spurned and hurt. He went to get proof, and came back with some extremely surprising news. Jane hadn't been turned into a vampire, at least not yet. She was pregnant."

"Pregnant?" I asked, my voice an astonished whisper. Seth nodded gravely, and his eyes got a faraway look in them. I knew that he was remembering the experience for himself.

"It was something that nobody expected, least of all Joe and Jane. They didn't think that something like that would be possible, and there had been no human-vampire relationships on notice before. They'd only been gone a few weeks, but by the time they were back, she looked about eight to nine months pregnant. The baby was growing at an accelerated rate, and was incredibly strong; it was literally draining the life force from her. Joe wanted her to have the pregnancy terminated because the local legends always said that the human mother was slaughtered in the end; they couldn't handle the birthing process. But Jane was adamant, and they were all on watch…Jacob came back shell shocked. The fact that there was a chance that he could save her was driving him nuts. On the complete other end of the spectrum, Sam wanted to destroy Jane and the fetus. He said that it was an unknown danger that could and should be destroyed, in the process killing Jane."

"That was the order that Jacob refused," I said quietly, unable to comprehend what all of this must have been like. It was insane!

"Jacob broke off to protect Jane and the coven, and I left with him. I didn't support Sam's orders and decision at all. Leah left because she wanted to watch out for me, and because it gave her a chance to escape being within Sam's mind 24/7. We took patrols around the perimeter for the coven, making sure that it was all clear when they had to go hunt. Jacob had given his permission, as the rightful Alpha, to amend the treaty so that Joe could Change Jane without breaking the peace, but the day they had planned the Cesarean, it went horribly wrong. The umbilical cord had wrapped around the baby's neck, and it was trying to get out, in the process breaking several of Jane's bones and rupturing her spinal cord. It was awful…"

I squeezed his hand, trying hard not to vividly imagine what that scene must have been like.

"Jacob and Joe delivered the baby, a little girl, and Joe hurriedly tried to save Jane by injecting several CC's of his venom directly into her heart. Jacob left, believing them to be too late, like a broken man. But he had made a decision to destroy the monster that had killed its own mother, despite the fact that it would most likely get him killed. He didn't care."

"Oh my God," I said, running my fingers through my hair. I couldn't believe that this had happened. It was surreal. It didn't belong in a soap opera, it belonged in a freaking science fiction novel! Seth rubbed my back soothingly, asking me if I wanted him to stop. "You're kidding, right? And leave me with that?" He laughed, smoothing back my hair from my face.

"Just before Jacob was about to attack, the little girl raised her eyes and, in that instant, every string in his life had been cut away. The way he described it was that now, a million steel cords connected him to the center of his life; the little baby girl."

"He imprinted on Joe and Jane's daughter?" I asked. "Like Quil and Claire?"

"Exactly. The venom had saved Jane, too, making her a vampire. Because Jacob had imprinted on the baby, Sam halted his plans to destroy her. They would never intentionally hurt a brother like that, especially because so many of them at that time had imprinted as well and would know what he felt if he would lose her."

I took a much needed breath, rubbing my eyes. They felt dry and sore, like I'd been staring at the computer screen for a few hours straight. I was annoyed that I had more questions, not at Seth but at myself, and continued. "I still don't understand why you have so many wolves."

Seth smiled sweetly, and then pressed his lips into a thin line. "Without getting into any more history, the Volturi have a rule about changing young children into vampires; they were called Immortal Children and completely uncontrollable. Nessie, the baby, was still growing at a rapid pace, taking the form of a toddler in a matter of days after her birth. A vampire saw her and believed her to be an Immortal Child and reported it to the Volturi. They decided to bring their entire guard as well as the Royal Family to permanently end the coven. Naturally, both packs assembled to protect them, and the coven themselves gathered allies from around the world to testify that Nessie was no Immortal Child. With so many vamps in town, more of those with the wolf gene Shifted, compensating for the loss of life."

"What happened?" I asked. Seth smiled serenely, squaring his shoulders.

"We scared them off. The Volturi pride themselves as being made up of only those with extraordinary powers, unstoppable and unbeatable. Several of the allies we had also had gifts. Joe's sister, lets call her Jackie, could see the future; Jackie's husband, mate, could feel and influence people's emotions and Joe could read minds. As a human, Jane had been impervious to gifts of the mind; Joe couldn't read her mind and those in the Volturi who could create the illusion of pain couldn't touch her. As a vampire, she had an incredible mental shield which she could extend like a protective dome over everyone's minds. If they were under it, nobody from the Volturi could hurt or influence them. With those gifts, as well as the packs' presence and some hard evidence that Nessie wouldn't be a threat to vampire existence, we successfully scared them off. We've been living peacefully ever since."

"I think I need caffeine," I said, my lips curling at the corners. Eager to do something for me, Seth slid me off his lap and onto the chair, hurriedly refilling my mug with fresh coffee. The mug felt wonderful in my grasp, as if its heat was a reassurance that I wasn't in some crazy bizarre dream. I took a deep drink of the liquid, feeling it work its way through my bloodstream. Seth watched me closely, handing me another scone to nibble on.

"Wow," I said, blinking my eyes. "I now understand why they wanted me to wait to understand the rest of it. It's a lot to take in."

Seth smiled, tucking a wavy tendril of hair behind my ear. "I know, and I'm sorry to have to dump it on you all at once. But there's another reason why it was important for you to know this. The barbeque tonight is being hosted by them, the coven. Jacob and I both wanted you to understand that, while there are evil vampires out there, these are not them. They are our friends, and an extension of our family. Not so much Sam's pack as they are a part of Jacob's, but we both wanted you to know that they would never hurt you. In fact, when they meet you as my imprint, they will probably adopt you as one of their own."

I smiled wide. Seth obviously cared for them, and after hearing everything that had happened between them and the packs, I felt prepared to meet them. I wasn't, much to my relief, afraid of them and actually I was eager to meet them. To have creatures able to live for centuries…everything that they must've seen! For a history and culture junkie like me, it was a dream come true. I reached out my hand and automatically he reached for mine.

"I understand, and honestly, I can't wait to meet them," I said truthfully. "But, why can't I know their real names now?"

Seth laughed, the sound booming off the walls loudly. I bit my lower lip, containing my own laughter. It wasn't that I thought the question was funny, I was very serious about it. It was just that I couldn't help but laugh whenever Seth laughed. It was infectious and wonderful.

"I'm under orders from 'Jackie'," he said with air quotes again, smiling so that his cheeks held identical dimples. "Not to say anything to you about their identities because they want to introduce themselves." He shrugged his shoulders. "But, I will tell you if you want me to."

I smiled, shaking my head. "Nah," I told him. "I'll wait to meet them in person."

Suddenly he looked up towards the back door, a small smile on his face. With an excited grin he took my hand and pulled me to my feet. "Come on, it's time that you meet the pack," he said, tugging me to the backyard. I jogged to keep up with him, unable to resist his sudden enthusiasm.

"What do you mean?" I asked, squeezing his hand. "I thought that I already met everyone?"

He stopped near the edge of the woods, pulling me to a stop right in front of him. He rested his hands on my shoulders, leaning down to speak in my ear.

"You did," he confirmed, his breath tickling. "But now you are going to be introduced to them in their wolf form."

My mouth popped open in shock, glued to the forest. I found that I was more excited than anything else to see them, to confirm that I wasn't in some dream world. I'd seen Seth as a wolf, but I hadn't been in my right mind at the time. I waited in anticipation, scanning the woods with my eyes. Then, I saw it. The rustling of the foliage as something large moved through it. I held my breath as they emerged, one by one, into the open. The sky was still dark and angry, flashes of lightning in the distance making the scene eerie and thrilling.

Seven oversized wolves padded out, creating a V formation with the most massive, russet colored wolf at its head. He was the color of darkened cinnamon and nearly the size of an SUV, his coat rippling over his thick muscles. His large black eyes were wise and kind, and I smiled at the Alpha wolf.

"Hi, Jacob," I said, earning a wolfy grin in reply. Knowing everything that I did now, I couldn't help but have a soft spot for him. That and the fact that he was Seth's Alpha gave me a whole new perspective on him.

He lowered his body to the ground, folding his paws and keeping his eyes and ears on alert. Seth took a deep breath, and began introducing his pack, gesturing to the slender, platinum gray wolf on Jacob's left. Its face was more angular, its muzzle longer than the rest. Its coat was also a bit more shiny and it was the smallest of the wolves.

"That's Leah," he said, nodding to his sister. With silent, deadly grace she followed Jacob's lead and folded her body to the ground, her long tail wrapping around her haunches. She looked disinterested, staring up overhead at the swirling sky. "She's the fastest of us."

The wolf on Jacob's right snapped his jaws, his tail wagging softly. He had dark chocolate fur that seemed a bit scruffy, and a tan face, almost like a painted mask. "That impatient beast is Quil." Quil stuck his long, pink tongue out at Seth before plopping to the ground, his tail patting the ground gently. A rangy gray wolf with dark spots along his back huffed out a deep breath, rolling his black eyes. "Embry," Seth said. I smiled as he laid down, wiping his muzzle with a paw in a gesture that was more family dog than wolf.

"And which leaves Gabriel, Andrew and Simon."

As he said their names, they sat down, each of them a bit ganglier and less bulky than the rest. I knew from meeting them that they were amongst the youngest, and not quite as grown as their packmates. Gabriel turned out to be the largest of the three of them, a bright red wolf with a silver eye mask that made me think of an old school bank robber. Simon and Andrew were the same size, their paws a bit too large for their legs. Andrew was an interesting kind of metallic looking wolf, some parts of his coat silver and other parts gold; his right paw was dipped in what looked like molten silver, standing out against his golden legs. Simon was the most drastically non-wolf color, taking on the resemblance of a Siamese cat. He was almost a complete moonlight gray, apart from the chocolate seal-points on his paws, ears, nose and tail tip, his eyes an icy blue. He was the only one who didn't have dark eyes, making him stand out the most amongst the wolves.

I took a deep breath, memorizing names and faces to the animals in front of me. I had to take a calming breath to ignore the quaking of my knees but otherwise, I felt okay. At least I hadn't passed out again. I turned to say something to Seth, only to notice that his hands weren't on my shoulders anymore. In fact, Seth wasn't even standing behind me; his massive wolf form was.

I couldn't help it; the expression on his face reminded me too much of an eager, overgrown puppy, ready to lay down and roll over at my command. I laughed, pressing my lips together to try and stifle the sound. Compared to the other wolves, I saw that Seth in the running for second largest wolf with Quil; he wasn't quite as beefy as the chocolate wolf, but he was taller and still thickly muscled. Seth's sandy coat shimmered, his legs and chest a deep burnished gold that reflected his sunny personality, and his dark chocolate eyes flickering in curiosity.

I extended my hand forward, burying it deep into the ruff of his neck, his fur a kind of soft-roughness that felt warm and alien in my fingers. Seth leaned into my hand, smelling strongly of juniper wood and sea spray, sighing in contentment. One of the wolves behind me made a coughing noise amongst the deep, rumbling barks of the pack's laughter. Seth was at least a head taller than me, able to look down at me with a small dip of his head. With a devilish glimmer that I didn't understand immediately, he opened his jaws, his tongue dropping out, and licked me up the side of my face.

"Ew!" I squealed, a very un-ladylike sound that would have had my Grand-mama chasing me around with a broom if I'd been younger. "Seth! That's disgusting!"

He barked out a deep laugh, nuzzling his icy nose in my hair, huffing out soft breaths that strangely smelled like coffee, and not dog scented. I scratched behind one of his large, radar-like ears, hearing his growl of pleasure in his throat. With all the deadly silence of huge predators, I barely heard the wolves disappearing into the forest, leaving Seth and me alone.

I heard my cell phone ringing from somewhere inside Seth's house and gave him one last affectionate pat before jogging inside. I answered the call on the last ring, leaning against the wall to catch my breath.

"Hello?"

"Oh! Lorelai, I didn't think you'd be up yet."

I smiled hearing Rachel's voice, the undercurrent and double meaning to her words not lost on me. I saw Seth enter in through the back in his jeans, a white smile plastered on his face. "Yeah, we got up a while ago. I just got the debriefing from the Elders."

She chuckled from the other side of the line. "I remember it well," she sighed. "You holding up okay?"

"Yeah, I think I am," I said, looking at Seth from under my eyelashes. He had moved without me hearing and was standing behind me, wrapping his long arms around my waist and nuzzling into my hair.

"You'll be going to the barbeque tonight, right?" Rachel asked, bringing my attention away from the man behind me.

"That's the plan," I told her, and then groaned. "I have nothing to wear!" I heard her laugh but Seth's lips were at my free ear, distracting me again.

"Anything you wear will be perfect," he murmured huskily. I shivered, smiling even though he couldn't see it.

"Well, I'll be bringing you and your father's things over in a bit, but if you want, we can go into Port Angeles to see if they've got anything. But trust me, jeans and a shirt will be fine."

Up until that point I had completely forgotten about my dad. I immediately felt guilty; I was his only daughter! How could I forget him at all? "Hey, Rach? Do you know where my dad is?"

"Yeah, he's over here with us. Actually, he's playing some of the guys at Russian Roulette. He's winning."

I laughed, relieved that he was okay. "Warn the guys to not bet too much money…dad's been banned from Monte Carlo and Las Vegas."

"And I can see why," she giggled. I shook my head, pressing my back into Seth's chest. His arms tightened momentarily, giving me both warmth and comfort.

"We'll be stopping by in a few, okay?" I asked, desperately wanting to see my dad. I couldn't help but worry about him; he was caught up in this craziness as much as I was, but he just didn't realize it. I swallowed a lump in my throat, suddenly remembering something of great importance. "What day is it?"

"Sunday," Rachel replied, much to my horror. I felt my knees give out, and only Seth prevented me from collapsing to the ground. I pressed my lips together into a hard line, shutting my eyes to keep the tears from escaping. "Why?"

"I'll see you soon. Thanks, Rachel."

I hung up the phone and heard rather than felt it slide through my fingers. Seth folded his body to the ground, his back leaning against the wall while I was nestled in between his legs. "Lorelai, what's wrong? What happened…do you need water or anything?"

"It's Sunday…" I said, shaking my head.

"Yeah, so?" he asked, concern shadowing his voice.

"I'm supposed to leave tomorrow."

I felt Seth stiffen, his arms unconsciously pulling me tighter against him in an effort to keep me close. He pressed his lips to my neck, softly kissing his way up my jaw and cheek. One arm pulled from my waist, his fingers taking hold of my chin and forcing me to look up at him. Seeing the few tears dripping under my eyes, he kissed them away, the corner of his mouth turning up in an effort to make me feel better.

"I've found you," he said, gazing into my eyes in a way that made me feel like he was seeing my soul. "I've found you, and I don't plan to let you go."

"I don't live here, though," I said, the words true but nevertheless heart wrenching. I knew that trying to keep a relationship in my line of work was near to impossible. But Seth was…he was…he was extraordinary, other-worldly, strong and passionate, kind, gentle, protective and supportive. He was sunlight itself, and apart from the fact that he was a Shape-shifter, and I his imprint, before I had known any of this, I had felt it deep within myself. Now that I had met him, I don't think that I could live without him. Yes it was melodramatic, but it was the only way I could put the feeling into words.

How could it work, though? I traveled around the world at the drop of a hat, my only two steady contacts my father and Bri. I couldn't just abandon all of that, and I didn't want to. I hated myself for it, I mean I wanted my cake and I wanted to eat it too, but it was the truth. I wanted my normal life and this supernatural one that I was entangled in now. And how could I try to stay here for a while more without explaining everything to my dad, who definitely would never believe any of this.

Seth saw the struggle in my eyes and cupped my face in his hot hand. "We'll figure something out, I swear. Everything will work out."

He gave me the softest kiss, one that made me smile against his lips. My fingers and toes were tingling and a flooding of warmth had pooled into my abdomen. I wanted to trust him and believe that what he said was true, but I still had doubts.

How could it work out?

_*The Histories are taken directly from Stephanie Meyer's novel, Eclipse, Chapter 11 Legends. The summary that Seth gives is the basic synopses of the Twilight Saga, all rights to Stephanie Meyer and her associated works_

**Please, please, please review! I would love it if I could get at least five reviews for this chapter, and the more I get, the faster I update. Let me know your thoughts, about the stories and characters, whatever you want! I love feedback!**


	11. Crowded

**Sorry, Sorry, A Thousand Times Sorry! But I'm back now! BTW, kudos to Himeko.123 for your spot on prediction (I won't divulge exactly what species yet, but you're on the right track) ;)**

**Chapter Eleven**

By the time we had eaten (Seth proved himself to be an admirable chef) and I'd gotten some semblance of my wits under control, the sun was setting and the barbeque would be starting. I took one more glance at my reflection in the mirror, worrying my lower lip between my teeth. I felt a nervousness I hadn't experienced in a long time at meeting the Vampire Coven that held such a close alliance with Seth and Jacob's pack. For a moment, a burst of insane laughter bubbled to my lips, the words Vampire Coven and Pack making me wonder if I wasn't dreaming after all.

There was a knock on the door, and Seth popped his head inside, breaking that temporary thought before it had rooted into my consciousness. He recognized my nerves and was at my side in an instant, planting a kiss to my cheek warmly. I smiled up at him, meeting his eyes gratefully.

"Come on," he said, taking my hand in his. The warmth that radiated off of him melted through my skin, circulating blood back into my frozen fingers. "Let's get going."

I nodded, following his bare back as he led me from the powder room and to the garage, giggling when he held the passenger door of his 1967 Chevy Impala, one of the only cars I could recognize by sight alone, open for me. The leather was soft like butter, a creamy beige that I instantly wanted to curl up against. My already high opinion of Seth rose another bit.

Seth held my left hand in his as he drove out of La Push, explaining that not only did this Coven not reside near the rez, but that they were a bit past Forks as well, too far to walk on foot (I did notice that he put a bit of emphasis on 'foot', making the allusion of him covering the distance easily as a wolf all too clear). I was consumed by the passing scenery as we drove past the rez border, slipping into the quiet, logging town of Forks, Washington.

Forks was the type of place where I had always secretly wanted to live…not Forks exactly, but this kind of small town, close to nature, close to everyone around you, where your neighbors cared and there were no secrets. I blame it on my constantly moving, this need to stay in one place and settle down. I craved for it…but I was also the type of person who needed to move, to roam until I physically couldn't anymore. A paradox, if you will.

We were in and out of the town quickly, turning onto a seemingly abandoned road that was lined with forest at least three miles deep. The vines and overgrowth seemed to creep onto the road, blurring the lines between concrete and nature. A harmony that wasn't expected, but, at least to me, was appreciated. I caught Seth sneaking glances at me when he thought I wasn't looking, and I grinned, squeezing his hand.

"Eyes on the road, buddy," I warned, hearing his deep chuckle and sighing inside. I turned my attention back to the window, surprised when we made a sudden turn down a smooth, yet distinctly dirt road, as if it just happened to appear through the forest. If you didn't know it was there, you would mistake it for a hiking path. I gazed in amazement as the trees began to bend over the road, entwining with the others to create a leafed canopy above us as we drove through. Almost as if they were deliberately planted there, and yet there was something in the way the trunks twisted in and out of unison that gave it a rustic, natural edge.

I had been prepared for anything at this point, after my debriefing with the Elders and Seth's own stories and experiences; I was expecting some great Gothic castle, with flying buttresses, gargoyles standing guard over wrought-iron gates, and stained glass windows that shone in jewel tones with the sun's rays. What I saw instead was like a breath of fresh air, confirming everything that I had heard and banishing the last of my doubts concerning this Coven.

This house was timeless, graceful, and probably a hundred years old. It was painted a soft, faded white, three stories tall, rectangular and well proportioned. The windows and doors were either part of the original structure or a perfect restoration. It was nestled snugly into a grassy clearing, neither out of place with the forest surrounding it nor completely distinct where it was a surprise to the eye, and I couldn't help but smile in anticipation; anyone with this amount of orientation towards detail was someone I was excited to meet. A kindred spirit in a strange world.

Seth pulled into the driveway, next to a few other cars that were either old or restored. Not nearly enough to carry the enormous size of the two packs, but just enough for a few and their imprints; I assumed that everyone else had done what Seth had implied…that they ran here.

Seth killed the engine and pulled my door open before I had even unbuckled my seat belt, shaking my head at his chivalry. He took my hand and pulled me to my feet, drawing it around his waist as he kicked the door closed. His smile, brilliantly white against his tanned skin, warmed me from within, and his lips were soft against mine as he gave me a kiss to calm the nerves I didn't realize I still had.

"You ready?" he asked, his voice quiet and reassuring. I nodded, grinning up at him.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Seth draped a long arm across my shoulders and we walked intertwined around the adjoined garage, which I saw to my amazement held an assortment of glossy, expensive sports cars lined up as an unofficial fleet, as well as several different motorcycles and off-roading vehicles that sported all the trimmings. Without even looking at my current object of interest, Seth explained.

"Having immortality does have certain benefits," he said, his voice betraying his amused grin. "An unlimited budget from centuries of savings happens to be one of them."

I could hear the party now, music blaring from what I assumed (from what I had seen to what Seth had said) was a state-of-the-art sound system, and the mingling of voices, masculine and feminine, giggling and laughter, and even shouts of good-natured animosity. I could smell the salty-smoky scent of Pacific drift wood on the air as bonfires were lighted, as well as the tantalizing aroma of meat on the grill. I felt my feet trying to pull me further along in anticipation, ignoring Seth's laugh at my eagerness. We turned the corner and I skidded to a stop. _This_ was a small, friendly barbeque?

Several rustic picnic tables were set up to accommodate the guests who wished to sit (or who shouldn't be on their feet, in the case of a very pregnant Emily), with white linen tablecloths draped across and mason jars of bright yellow and purple daisies adding delightful pops of color to a very green surrounding. Banquet tables dressed similarly were set up around the perimeter, hosting a wide variety of traditional fare for all those who could eat it. Burgers, hot dogs, sausages, buns; bowls of potato and macaroni salad, coleslaw, ambrosia salad; lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, sauerkraut, and the works; crystal pitchers of iced-tea, lemonade, and strawberry-cucumber water; chocolate chip cookies, brownies, sugared pastries that _looked_ sweet; even platters of caprese salad, olives, cheeses, and fruit for those looking for a lighter meal…it wasn't a barbeque…it was a feast!

White Japanese lanterns laced overhead as an imitation of the starry sky, connecting from the back porch of the house to the trees scattered close enough. Four large bonfires were lighted with the signature blue-green flames of beach-wood, contrasting with the orange tendrils of fire spitting up from two large, state-of-the-art grills, where I saw Sue, Rachel and Paul (believe it or not) flipping patties and sausage-links with the skill of Master Chefs. There was a small wooden dance floor set up, where currently a game of horseshoes was being played, much to the delight of the women, who were pitting their imprints against one another to see who came out the victor. I spotted Quil and Collin sitting on the tailgate of a classic, incredibly maintained red, 1950's pick up truck, playing with a little girl around eight or nine, with pigtails of glossy black hair swinging as she was tossed repeatedly in the air by the massive wolves.

This was nothing like what I was expecting.

Emily looked away from a visibly worrying Sam, who was hovering over her like a trembling shadow, and spotted Seth and me, grinning from ear to ear. She waved, calling out to us. "Seth, Lorelai! You made it!"

Almost immediately, every pair of eyes in the backyard were on us, my nerves surging back in full force. Seth pulled me tighter against his side, soothing me without seeming to realize it. I smiled back at Emily, who I saw was desperately trying to distract her husband, and relaxed. The party picked back up after a few greetings and waves, and Seth led me to the food, handing me a plate before digging in himself.

"Hungry?" I laughed, as he piled on a third and then a fourth plate. He grinned impishly, planting a kiss on my forehead, his plates balancing precariously along the length of his forearms. I took the initiative and found us a picnic table near one of the fires, leaning into Seth before I started eating.

I found my dad at another table across the way, sitting with a notoriously serious expression as he glanced around the table at the four men playing cards against him. I recognized Zach, Gabriel, and Simon amongst the challengers, making me wonder if they hadn't learned their lesson from earlier that day, but the fourth opponent I didn't hold a semblance of recognition for. And I'm positive that I would remember him, as sure as I would never forget Seth or the Quileute Boys.

From my vantage point, I had a clear view of the man's profile, a clear shock against so much russet-brown brawn. He was about the same height as Seth, 6'5", just as broad across the shoulders and covered in thick muscle like a serious weight-lifter. In that respect, he fit right in with the Wolves…but it was the differences that made him stand out so incredibly. His skin was the pale alabaster of cream, a shock against the black curls atop his square, masculine head, whose jaw was chiseled and strong, despite the childlike dimples in his cheeks and chin that were prominent when he flashed a pearl-white smile. His knee, covered in a pair of denim jeans that looked expensive, was bobbing in anticipation, as if he couldn't stand to be still for so long. If not for the fraternal camaraderie he displayed with the rest of the guys, I would have found him as intimidating as I had found Jacob when I first met him. He said something to Gabriel, who began laughing, and I got a good look at his face; friendly, open like a book, and distinctly handsome, especially with eyes of gold that glittered metallically against the bonfire.

If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn that I had seen eyes, which were rare enough to warrant suspicion of contacts, like that before. I turned to Seth, who had finished all four plates of food in record time (how that was possible, when I hadn't even tasted my burger, was beyond my comprehension) to inquire who this man was, all to be interrupted by a voice that an Opera singer would kill to have. Seth turned with an eager grin, spiking a surprising pang of jealousy in my chest that he should hold such a feeling of familiarity to be so happy to see someone who sounded so…well…

"You must be Lorelai," she said, effectively distracting me to force me to turn around and face this mysterious woman. I blinked twice, wondering if my eyes deceived me; I was staring like an idiot at someone who could be the double of pixie-queen.

The woman was tiny, almost five foot, but not quite, and extremely thin; had she been taller, she would have made a perfect runway model. Her features were small and delicate, with high arching brows and large eyes that shone at me with all the happiness of a long-lost sister being found. She was absolutely beautiful, a characteristic trait that I was beginning to pick up on, here in this tiny area of Washington, with hair I had never seen before; an inky black, with almost a blue sheen to it if the light caught it, cropped short to her angular, aristocratic face, and sticking up in spikes that pointed in every which way. She was wearing a black lace dress, cinched at her nonexistent waist, and black suede boots, setting off her perfectly pale skin and shimmering butterscotch eyes. She was related to the man playing cards with my dad, that much I was sure.

Remembering my voice, I spoke up uncertainly. "Yes," I confirmed, watching as she practically burst in excitement. She seemed to be always in motion, caffeinated on espresso much too strong for her small frame. "I'm Lorelai Savione."

She giggled, taking my hand in her delicate one, and shaking it with a grip that surprised me. It was strong, for all that it otherwise implied, and also freezing, as if she'd stuck her hand in a bucket of ice seconds before. Noticing my surprise, she looked to Seth, pouting in a child-like manner. For some strange reason, I wanted to wrap my arms around her and give her a hug, her expression was that heart-breaking.

"She doesn't like me, Seth," she said. "Oh, and I was trying so hard to make a good first impression!"

"Easy, Alice," Seth replied, drawing me to his side with his arm. He smiled at her. "She's confused, is all."

I looked up at him with a questioning look, and he smiled wider. "Lore, this is 'Jackie', otherwise known as Alice."

Sudden comprehension dawned on me, and looked at 'Jackie', I mean Alice, with new eyes; this little person, with personality to fill someone three times her size, was the psychic vampire that was part of the Coven that Seth valued so much. I grinned at her, watching her face light up.

"It's so nice to meet you, Alice," I told her.

Surprising me even more, she wrapped her arms around me in a hug that literally took my breath away. Seth chuckled, his voice easing Alice's eagerness away a few steps.

"Try not to kill my imprint, alight Shortie?" he laughed. She stuck her tongue out at him, like a sister would to her brother. Apparently, the feeling of family was mutual.

"Carlisle and Esme want to introduce the family to Lorelai inside," she told us, a note of seriousness creeping into her tinkling voice. "The family room. Jake's upstairs with Nessie."

Seth nodded, taking my hand in his. His deep chocolate eyes looked to me, watching my face for my reaction. "Are you ready?"

I nodded, glancing at Alice with a reassuring smile. "Let's go."

Hand in hand, we followed the dancing pixie through the clear-glass doors that led from the back porch to inside the massive, modern home, directly to the kitchen. It was all clean-cut lines, onyx and stainless steel, with a granite top island hosting a vase of beautifully pruned roses of the most vibrant hues of pink. We continued on through the dining room, barely pausing enough for me to take in a mahogany table large enough to host a party of fourteen and a crystal chandelier that I could place between the late 19th and early 20th century France. It was beautiful.

We entered what I saw was the family room, snugly outfitted despite its immense size with pristine white sofas, a dark oak coffee table, matching entertainment cabinet, and a large, LCD flat screen, currently displaying a Criminal Minds marathon, the volume muted. Spread out, there were four others in the family room that I hadn't seen outside, not including Alice and the large man who'd been playing cards, which made six, but who all resembled one another in three ways; their unblemished, perfectly white skin, their varying shades of golden eyes, all turned towards Seth, Alice and me, and their undeniable, breath-catching beauty. I mean, even the men were beautiful!

The first person that I was drawn to was, unsurprisingly, a woman, maybe two inches taller than my 5'4", with the warmest, brightest smile on her beautiful, heart-shaped face, framed by her billowing waves of caramel colored hair. Her shimmering topaz eyes were outlined by delicate, sooty black lashes, and I noticed that unlike the others, who were all sharp angles and planes, she was softer, more rounded, but no less gorgeous. She was a fairytale princess standing in front of me.

The woman's arm was draped around the waist of who, from their matching wedding bands, was her husband, a man maybe in his mid-twenties, and no where near thirty, standing a few inches over six foot, dressed impeccably in black woolen slacks and a blue silk shirt, which brought out the pale, almost non-existent color of his platinum blonde hair. He looked like an Italian fashion model, with his handsome, distinguished facial features and his award winning smile, which he flashed to me when he noticed my attention on him. He seemed open and friendly, and already I felt more at ease with him around.

I watched as Alice danced across the room to the side of a muscular, yet lanky man, with honey blonde hair and a face that should be on a movie screen. He was watching me with an interested expression, but became distracted when Alice planted a kiss on the side of his marble white neck, smiling down at her with dark, ocher colored eyes. Out of everyone, he seemed to be exhausted, purple like shadows underneath his eyes, but otherwise fine; he matched Alice, wearing black jeans and a black sweater that was pushed up along his forearms, which were covered in wiry muscle. He towered over her, but I saw the way he gazed down at her, with all the love in the world. This was Alice's, what had Seth called him? Mate? The one who could feel and influence others emotions.

"So, Seth, it seems that you're all hitched up now," came a booming laugh, a deep baritone that made me jump. Seth squeezed me, and we turned towards the voice; it was the giant, curly-haired vampire who'd been playing cards outside. He was all smiles and laughter now. "About time, man."

"Em, you're scaring her," Alice admonished, flashing me a genuine smile. 'Em' looked abashed, turning to look at who was, quite possibly, the most stunning person I'd ever seen. Her beauty surpassed every man or woman I'd seen up to this point in my life, so much so that it was a bit overwhelming. She was tall, and statuesque, the tallest woman I'd seen thus far, with a body that should be gracing the covers of Sports Illustrated. I'd known women like her before, never as beautiful, but the ones who could make every girl feel inferior just by sharing the same room with her. She had a perfect, cupid's bow mouth, painted cherry red, impossibly high cheek bones, a straight nose, eyes the color of honey, with black, sweeping lashes that touched arched brows, and waving, blonde hair reaching the middle of her back. She was wearing a daring red sun dress, the halter top leading to a plunging neckline that showed off the creaminess of her skin. I knew that I was staring, but I couldn't help it.

"Lorelai,"

My name was spoken softly, gently, as if I was a frightened animal who they didn't want to startle. I turned towards the speaker, the light haired, blonde man who had made me feel comfortable. He seemed concerned.

"Yes?" I replied, surprised when it came out as a squeak. I cleared my throat and looked up at Seth, whose warm lips kissed my forehead tenderly. Steadying my heartbeat, I looked back.

"I'm sorry that you feel overwhelmed," the vampire continued, smiling gently. "We thought it might be better to introduce us all to you at once…to get the shock factor over more quickly. I see now that we were wrong, and I'm very sorry."

I shook my head, ashamed that I had given that impression. It was my job to always seem cool, calm and collected when meeting new people, even if I was nervous. "No, you were right…I think it will be better if I meet everyone at once. Forgive my rudeness, I'm just a bit…"

"Overwhelmed," the man finished, smiling reassuringly, as if he completely understood. The tension in the room visibly disappeared, and I smiled hesitantly back, feeling the pressure of Seth's arm on my shoulders.

The man extended his hand back to the fairytale princess, who stepped forward.

"This is my wife, Esme," he said. She held out her free hand, shaking my own warmly, exuding a happiness I hadn't expected.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Esme said, looking from me to Seth like a proud mother hen. "I'm so glad that Seth's found you."

I was touched by her love and generosity, and I felt my smile become more real, more genuine. "It's a pleasure to meet you to. I'm Lorelai."

She touched my cheek gently, and then stepped back into the embrace of her husband, who went on with the introductions. "You've already met our daughter, Alice," he said, nodding to the ecstatic pixie who was hugging the waist of her mate/husband. "And that is our son, Jasper." At his name, the lithe blonde nodded, and I had the distinct feeling that if he were wearing a hat, he would've tipped it to me.

"I'm Emmett," the large, booming man said, earning a smack on the stomach by the stunning girl next to him. He made a big show of wincing as if in pain, and I immediately knew that I would come to like him; he was the big brother that I always wanted, and reminded me a lot of Jacob, after the initial intimidation factor wore off. The blonde rolled her eyes at his behavior, but nonetheless, grinned at me, if a little stiffly.

"Ignore him," she said, her voice just as beautiful as the rest of her. "I'm Rosalie, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you all," I told them sincerely. I turned back to the de-facto leader of the coven, who had yet to introduce himself.

"And I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen," he said, shaking my hand, his skin as cold to the touch as Esme and Alice's had been. I opened my mouth to speak, but was cut off in surprise. _Dr. Carlisle Cullen_? I'd heard that name, specifically that name, before, and come to think of it, I'd heard Esme's, whose name wasn't a common one, before as well.

"I'm sorry," I said, shaking my head. "Did you say, _Dr._ Carlisle Cullen?"

He looked at me in surprise at the obvious confusion I was now feeling, and nodded. I moved to speak again, but was cut off by a familiar, yet completely shocked voice that I'd heard, what seemed to me, to be a lifetime ago.

"Miss Savione?"

Everyone turned towards the dining room, where none other than Edward and Bella Cullen stood, staring at me as if they'd seen a ghost. And the only thing that I could think of was, _Oh My God! Edward and Bella are Vampires!_

"Edward, you know each other?" Dr. Cullen said, the first to speak after an interminable amount of silence had risen.

"Just barely, Carlisle," he replied seriously. His eyes watched me warily, as if I were something dangerous. "She and her father were the guests of honor at the Art Gala which you so generously declined to attend."

Carlisle turned to me eagerly, momentarily forgetting the fact that I was already acquainted with his family. "You're the daughter of Emilio Savione, the archaeologist and novelist?"

"Ex-archaeologist," I corrected automatically; it was a common misconception that I had been redressing since I understood what it was that my dad did for a living. "He's an art antiquate."

"Yes, of course! I've been wanting to speak with him for some time now, ever since I went to Cairo last year."

His enthusiasm surprised me, and I found myself laughing. "Well, here's your chance, because he's out back playing cards with some of the guys."

"That wily fox is your old man?" Emmett chuckled. "Best poker player I've ever played against, including you Eddie."

"Really?" Alice perked up eagerly, looking out the window wistfully.

"Lorelai," Edward said, claiming my attention again. "What are you doing here?"

"Edward!" Bella hissed. "There's no need to be rude! I'm sorry, Lorelai…he doesn't like surprises, and it's not very often that someone can surprise him."

I smiled at Bella's kindness and replied to Edward. "Trust me, I'm just as surprised as you are. The truth is, I'm,"

"Seth's imprint," he finished, looking at Seth peculiarly.

"Hey, Seth! Lorelai, you made it!" I blinked in confusion at Jacob, who was coming down the stairs. I took a deep breath, suddenly feeling very warm and crowded. I thought that I could handle it, but I was quickly coming to the realization that I wasn't handling it well at all. It was too much at one time. "Bells, you're back!"

I watched as Jacob wrapped Bella in a brotherly hug, clapping Edward on the back with a grin. Before he could pick up on the mood in the room, the last of our party came flying down the stairs.

"Momma! Daddy, you're home!"

I watched in amazement as a beautiful young girl flew into the arms of Bella, with a speed and grace that wasn't nearly as human as I was expecting it to be. She was maybe twelve or thirteen, and quite possibly the most gorgeous young girl I'd ever seen (and trust me, I know that I was saying that a lot, but it's how I was feeling in the moment). Her skin was the same perfect creaminess of the vampires in the room, but possessed a rosy undertone that gave her a vibrancy I hadn't realized the others were missing. Her hair was an impossible shade of bronze, and fell into such long ringlets that I wondered for a moment if they were fake, so porcelain doll-like they were. She was lithe and well proportioned, like an adult, hidden expertly by the red and white checked sun dress she wore. Standing next to Edward, the similarities between the two were undeniable; she possessed his strong, angular jaw, and sharp, aquiline cheekbones, the long, dark lashes that swept across the tops of her rosy cheeks.

When I did get a good look at her face, I also saw Bella there, in the shape of her face, and the way her lips pulled back over white, square teeth, despite the fact that the smile was the exact same as Edward's. The girl's eyes were the purest color of melted milk chocolate, warm, shining, and intelligent as she registered my presence.

"Hello," she said, her voice a variant of the cathedral bells that Bella had and the smooth, velvet of Edward's voice. Her tone was curious, inquisitive, and polite, noticing the way that Seth had his arms wrapped around me. "Who are you?"

"Nessie," Jacob sighed, bending down to ruffle her curls affectionately. "This is Lorelai."

He said it as if she should recognize it, which, based on her reaction, which rivaled that of Alice's exuberance, she did. "Oh! Hi, Lorelai!"

"Um, hello…" I looked up at Seth to fill in the blank, but she finished it for me.

"Renesmee," she said, her voice lilting around it sweetly. "But everyone calls me Ness, or Nessie."

"Despite Bella's persistence to have it otherwise," Jacob laughed. Bella shook her head, smiling fondly.

"Alice, why didn't you tell us?" Edward asked, the question more curious than angry. Alice huffed indignantly, rolling her eyes.

"I did tell you that Seth had Imprinted, and that we would be meeting her," she told her superiorly. I bit my lower lip to keep from laughing at her patronizing tone, and Edward's exasperated expression. "However, you weren't here when I told you, and as far as I know, you can't read minds over the telephone. How was I supposed to know that you had already met her up in Seattle?"

Renesmee giggled at Alice's sarcasm, echoed by Esme's good natured chuckle and Emmett's booming laugh. Edward sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Alright, Alice, I get it," he said, a crooked smile tweaking his lips amusedly.

He looked back at me with an apologetic expression, sincerity ringing clear in his voice when he addressed me. "I apologize, Lorelai, Seth," he acknowledged, his gold eyes flicking upwards for a moment before returning to my face. "As my wife said, I don't usually like surprises, and it's a very rare day when I am surprised. It doesn't excuse my behavior, though. I am glad to see you again, despite these strange coincidences."

"No harm done, Edward," I told him, smiling slightly. I was pondering what Alice had said, something about him not reading minds over the phone, and it suddenly hit me. I looked between Edward, Bella, and Renesmee, who was quite obviously their daughter, but whose age differences didn't make complete sense to me, then to Alice and Jasper, who was staring intently at me, and then to Emmett and the gorgeous Rosalie, Seth's words repeating in my mind from earlier today…

…"_Apparently, Joe had been spending his time in misery, and so his other 'sister', I guess you could call her the most vain one, called him to tell him that Jane was dead"…_

… "_Several of the allies we had also had gifts. Joe's sister, lets call her Jackie, could see the future; Jackie's husband, mate, could feel and influence people's emotions and Joe could read minds…As a vampire, Jane had an incredible mental shield which she could extend like a protective dome over everyone's minds. If they were under it, nobody from the Volturi could hurt or influence them"…_

Alice was 'Jackie'…she could see the future. Jasper could feel and influence the emotions of those around him. Looking at Rosalie, who was by far the beauty out of this gorgeous family, I could see why she might have, at one time, been considered vain by others; if she hadn't been smiling at me, and if I hadn't seen the love in her eyes when she saw Renesmee, I would have said the same thing at first. But Seth had said that it was 'Joe' who could read minds…who fell in love with a human…who had a half human, half vampire daughter with the human…whose daughter was imprinted by an Alpha Shape-shifter to end an almost war before it started…

I turned back to Edward and Bella, finally putting the last of the pieces together in my head. 'Joe' was Edward, 'Jane' was Bella, and I was caught in the Science-Fiction Soap Opera I'd just listened to only hours before. I took a deep breath, suddenly feeling light headed and dizzy. I tried to blink, to focus on one area in particular at a time, and to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth, but my body wasn't responding to my commands. I started seeing black spots.

"Carlisle, she's going to," I heard both Alice and Edward say.

The last thing that I saw was everyone move towards me as my knees gave out and I fell against Seth.

The last thing I _thought_ was, "Not again…"


	12. Surreal

**Okay, so I had totally planned for this chapter to come out way earlier. Unfortunately, I rewrote this chapter about 2,000 times before I was happy with it, and there's still parts I'd want to change, haha. I'm serious...I just finished it last night! Thank you all for supporting Seth and Lorelai and this new spellbinding world I'm trying to incorporate...it really means a lot to me and I just wanted to let you all know that :)**

**Chapter Twelve**

"Come on, Lore…wake up…please, just open your eyes…that's it, come on…"

I could hear Seth's voice from somewhere deep and cloudy, as if he were speaking to me through plated glass. My ears were clogged, as if I'd been submerged underwater and hadn't emptied them yet, and my head had a clear pounding in the center of my cranium, painful and throbbing.

It took a total combined effort to peel back my eyelids against the glare of overhead lighting, but I was relieved to discover that the lights weren't on; they'd been exchanged for the soft glow of lit candles, and Seth's handsome face leaning down over me. When he saw my eyes at last, he smiled happily, kissing me on my forehead, the tip of my nose, and then softly on my lips.

"Welcome back, sweetheart," he said. His fingers brushed through my hair, and I realized that my neck was cradled against his muscular forearm; in fact, I was completely draped across Seth's lap, not an entirely uncomfortable position, but a bit awkward with so many curious and concerned faces peering at me from all angles of the room.

I tried sitting up and everyone moved at once, telling me to take it easy and not rush into it. Dr. Cullen was foremost in this, gliding into the role of doctor with an ease that surprised me. He laid his cool fingers against my forehead, smiling at me.

"It seems that your body temperature is going back to normal," he said, removing his hand and standing up in one, fluid motion. Seth helped me to a sitting position slowly, supporting my weight as easily as he would a child. I had rearranged myself to now be leaning on Seth's side, rather than in his lap, and took my time memorizing names to faces. A few stuck out in particular, but I was too lightheaded to recall why. Alice came over to hand me a glass of water and some Aspirin, for which I was grateful for, and I swallowed the glass and pills down in a single gulp.

"Thanks," I told her, watching her light up with a smile. I glanced up at Seth from under my lashes, and shook my head. "I really need to stop doing that," I told him.

He chuckled deeply, pressing his lips into my hair. "You've been thrown into a world you didn't ask for…any normal person would react the same way."

Emmett let out a large laugh, nearly quaking the wall he was leaning against, and for some reason, everyone's eyes darted to Bella and Edward before returning to me. I got the feeling that if she'd still been human, Bella would have been blushing crimson, the way she demurred into Edward's side.

"I'm sorry about this," I said shyly, feeling my cheeks heat up in embarrassment. I never lost my cool…never. Coming to Washington seemed to change a lot of things for me.

"Oh, sweetheart, you don't have to apologize," Esme was sweet enough to say, coming to take the empty glass away from my grasp. She smiled, and I slowly felt my embarrassment ebb away. Seth squeezed my hand.

And just like that, the entire room relaxed, and I watched as everyone began moving around and talking and laughing as I expected a large family would. And that's what the Cullens were, when it came right down to it. They weren't a Coven of Vampires to me anymore; they were a warm, loving, protective family.

I found myself next to both Alice and Carlisle, in a deep conversation about my work and how Carlisle's contribution would be used, as well as my own questions for them; living for centuries, experiencing the world as it underwent changes, it was like talking to living art.

Seth had joined Jacob, Emmett, and Bella in the center of the room for another game of poker (something told me that Emmett was a bit sore from losing to my dad), while Renesmee and Rosalie took turns painting each others nails, honing their skills as they watched the game. Esme had taken Edward to replenish the stocks of food for the barbeque, and Jasper kept a silent vigil over us all, smiling often. I felt comfortable and welcomed, and not at all nervous, and I knew that it might be considered rude to keep looking over at Seth every chance I got, but I just couldn't help it. I was happy.

I watched suddenly as everyone in the room stiffened slightly, eyes darting towards the back door, where Edward and Esme came in, leading a flushed cheek and grinning, black haired man. I stood up, careful to avoid tripping over feet as I went to give my father a hug.

"_Papa_," I smiled, kissing each of his cheeks once. His black hair was groomed impeccably as always, the salt standing out prominently at his temples. His blue eyes took in the scene in a single sweep, before landing on me with the kind of pride that every daughter hopes to see her father give her. He was wearing a dark green tailored shirt with a pair of black slacks, his well worn, yet polished Oxfords peeking up at me. He kissed my forehead, keeping his hand on the back of my head like he used to when I was younger.

"_Ma petite_," he said, smiling. "Did you know that Edward Cullen and his wife live here? Quite a coincidence, _non?_"

I laughed, rolling my eyes. "No one was more surprised than me, _Papa_," I assured him, turning around to face the room, specifically Carlisle and Esme, the former who seemed ready to assault my dad with questions galore.

"Dr. Cullen, I would like you to meet my father, Emilio Savione," I said, pointing him in the direction of the blond patriarch. "_Papa_, this is Dr. Carlisle Cullen, the new benefactor of the Third Dynasty Exhibit at the BM."

My father stepped forward to shake Carlisle's hand, and I watched as both men became acquainted; my dad didn't have a lot of close friends, it was hard when everyone wanted something from you, but Carlisle wanted nothing but to pick his brain for opinions, something I knew we were both appreciative of.

After the introductions were again made, this time to my dad, in which I suffered a case of déjà vu, I felt Seth move in behind me, his bare torso pressing into my back. Almost of their own accord, my hands reached back to grab his wrists, drawing them around my waist until I was completely surrounded by his warmth and security. His voice was in my ear, a soft rumbling that gave me chills of the best kind.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded, leaning back against him, breathing in the scent that I knew was 100% Seth.

"It's surreal," I said, tilting my head up to look at him. His dark chocolate eyes peered down at me, the golden flecks shimmering. "But nothing I can't handle."

He grinned, revealing the two dimples that I realized now I absolutely adored. "I never doubted that for a second," he murmured, nuzzling my hair. I felt an intense stare on me then, and looked back towards the room; lapis lazuli eyes, as familiar as my own, were staring at me and Seth in an interested and understanding way. Following my line of sight, Seth saw what I was looking at, and cleared his throat nervously. I squeezed his hand, much as he'd done to me when I was feeling awkward and nervous, and I disentangled myself, striding confidently towards my father. Inside, my intestines were knotting and unknotting, and I began fidgeting with my fingers in agitation.

My dad extended an arm, wrapping it around my shoulders and leading me out of the room and onto the back porch, the glass door sliding close to block it out. We faced the barbeque, which was slowly winding down, the wolves of La Push breaking off into groups and disappearing jovially. I saw all the left over food, and my stomach growled; I still hadn't eaten anything since brunch this morning.

Laughing at my vocal stomach, my father led me to one of the banquet tables laden with food, helping me pile on helpings like I was a starving beggar. We sat at one of the benches around a lit bonfire, the green and blue flames dancing up into the sky. He waited until I was halfway through finishing my plate before starting.

"So," he began, taking a deep breath. "You and Mr. Clearwater, eh?"

I giggled, covering my mouth with a napkin, lest food spew from it. "_Mr. Clearwater_, dad? A little formal, don't you think. His name is Seth."

"Seth then," he grumbled, his color deepening as I caught onto his ruse. My dad didn't like to be found out; he'd mastered his emotions before anything else, which is why his poker face was nearly impenetrable to others. I, however, knew the little things that belied what he was thinking. The slight flare of his nostrils when he was angry; the way he blinked twice, in rapid repetition, when he was surprised or taken by surprise and didn't want to show it; how only one dimple showed itself if he was frustrated and thinking…I knew them all.

"Does it bother you, that maybe we jumped into a relationship too fast?" I asked, trying to read his face for any sign. It revealed nothing.

"You're talking to a man who met and married the love of his life in a month," he reminded me, speaking after a long period of silence in which I'd begun to feel my nerve slipping again. I watched as he turned his wedding band around his finger three times, a habit he'd picked up after mom's death, and which he only performed when he was feeling incredibly awkward and unsure.

He looked at me then, his eyes bluer than normal, sighing deeply. "Our plane is tomorrow," he said, looking back at his hands. I realized then that we weren't speaking English anymore; we'd lapsed into our native tongue (I guess, since English was just as native to me, my first language), French. My dad was _really_ nervous if he'd spoken in it unintentionally. I took his hands in mine, regaining his attention for the moment.

"I need to stay here for a few more days," I told him, watching as he grinned knowingly. He kissed my hands, shaking his head.

"I'd be concerned if you didn't," he told me, standing up from the bench, pulling me to my feet. He wrapped me warmly in a hug, his familiar cologne sharpening my nose. He pulled back, tucking my arm into the crook of his elbow, escorting me across the lawn and to the house, where, from the entire glass wall of the Cullens home, I saw Seth pacing anxiously, wringing his hands.

"You thought _you_ were nervous?" I told my dad, whose attention was also on the visibly stressing man. "Look what you did to him!"

We grinned simultaneously, walking up the porch steps.

"Whenever you need to come home," my dad said as we reached the back door. "Just call Bri. She'll make it happen."

"You'll call if you need me for anything, right?" I asked, looking up at him. He nodded.

"Relax, _petite_, you deserve a vacation," he said, kissing my forehead once more. "But, yes, I will call you if you're needed. Don't hold your breath, though."

We walked in through the back door, through the kitchen and dining room and once again found ourselves in the family room, where Renesmee, Bella, Emmett, and Rosalie were watching a recently released (as in, just came out in _theaters_) movie, Alice and Jasper were curled up on a loveseat, also watching the film, Carlisle and Esme were talking intimately in the corner, and Edward and Jacob were both actively trying to calm Seth down. Their efforts were unnecessary, as he stilled as soon as I walked into the room.

My dad led me over to Seth, placing my hand in Seth's warm one, shaking his free hand firmly.

"Take care of her," he said gravely, watching as Seth met his gaze and then dropped it to my face, nodding severely.

"I will, sir," he said softly.

By this time, everyone was watching us with interest. Clapping Seth on the shoulder, a difficult feat considering Seth's height, my dad moved back to speak with Carlisle and Esme, and one by one, the Cullens, Inc. turned back to more interesting forms of entertainment. Seth ran his fingers through the strands of my hair, and I watched as the muscles in his throat tightened before speaking.

"So," he started, clearing his throat before dropping it to a more intimate level. "You're staying?"

"For now," I teased, smiling up at him. He grinned crookedly, pulling me up close against his body before kissing me deeply. I wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly and kissed him back, earning a few whistles and hollers from the room, particularly Emmett and Jacob, who were now smiling in a way that suggested much torture for Seth in the future. I giggled.

Alice danced over and peeled me away, dragging me into the family room, where it had become the Girls Zone, complete with Chick Flicks, board games, and what seemed to me an endless supply of beauty products. Bella was talking with Rosalie, and when she saw me, she gave me a helpless, sympathetic smile.

"I used to be her grown Barbie," she told me. "Now she can only bug me about my clothes, which she picks out anyway."

In response, Alice stuck her tongue out at her sister-in-law, pulling me to the sofa with an iron grip I couldn't ignore. As soon as I was sitting, Alice moved around the room in light-speed frenzy, transforming it into a bonafide spa, complete with a massage table. I swallowed hard.

"I don't know if I really have time for a full make over," I said nervously, glancing around the table at the products displayed. Many were ones that made up my own repertoire at home, several brands that I recognized that were French cosmetics and more expensive than the average family's yearly income. I heard Rosalie snicker.

"Alice will not only give you the best treatments you've ever had," she assured me, "but it will also be the fastest you've ever had."

I glanced down at my nails, which, granted, were due for a manicure, and then back up at Alice, who smiled triumphantly. She knew she had won the battle before it had begun, and it had nothing to do with her gift.

"Nessie, will you do her nails while I get her face?" she asked, drawing my attention to Bella's beautiful daughter. The age thing was still throwing me off, since I knew she should look like a six year old, but after a while, I knew it wouldn't phase me.

Renesmee brought over a clear box full of pigments and glitters and sat next to me, opening the box like a treasure chest. She smiled sweetly, asking in a high, clear voice, "What color do you want? They're gels, so we can do a polish and a glitter on top, if you want."

I smiled, trying to take an active interest in the different colors she offered. I could tell that there was something that was still making her nervous around me, and I was determined to make her comfortable. It was also a great distraction from Alice's creative mixing of both natural and processed ingredients. Once we started discussing different options, which colors and glitter would look best against my skin, my hair, my eyes, Renesmee loosened up, laughing and joking with a humor that resembled Edward's sarcasm and Bella's thoughtfulness. Even some of Jacob and Emmett's brazen sense of comedy had leaked its way into this dainty young girl.

By the time Seth came wandering into the family room in search of me, well past two in the morning, I'd had my manicure and pedicure (a shimmering blue that matched my eyes), a facial-mask combo, my hair curled onto large rollers for light waves, and had watched two and a half movies with Rosalie, Alice, Bella and Nessie, who, in between, took turns in playing cards against me. I was falling asleep on the sofa watching a particular favorite of mine (_Gigi_, featuring Leslie Caron and Louis Jourdan); Jacob had come to walk Nessie home, and Bella had disappeared a short time after. Alice still sat with me, however Jasper had come in and was now her perch instead of the arm of the couch.

My eyes were drifting closed when I felt the warm strength of Seth's arms picking me up and cradling me gently against his chest, my head pillowed on his shoulder.

"We'll see you all later, guys," he said softly, nodding to the Cullens' murmurs of good night. I felt him deposit me into the back seat and then the quiet humming of the car as he drove us back to his house. The rocking of the drive was soothing and sleep-inducing, so by the time we were home, I was barely conscious enough to feel him pick me back up and walk me back inside the house. I woke up a bit when I felt the cool sea breeze across my face, enough to insist on changing into something more comfortable instead of just going to sleep in my clothes. Seth merely smiled and handed me the sweatshirt I'd had on this morning, which I changed into as slow as molasses.

While I was in the bathroom, Seth had changed into a pair of flannels and was splayed out on his bed staring at the ceiling. He heard me come in, and I watched as his eyes took me in, from head to toe. I'd never been self-conscious about my body, but I became intensely aware of the fact that I was wearing my underwear, Seth's sweatshirt, and nothing else.

He smiled, patting the bed beside him in a manner much too relaxed to suggest that he was in the mood to do anything but sleep. In fact, the circles under his eyes and his uncontrollable yawn supported it.

I curled up against his side, spreading my fingers across the smooth, warm expanse of his stomach and sighing deeply, I felt my mind slipping slowly into the realm of dreams. Seth kissed the top of my head, combing his fingers through my hair until it feathered over his arm and pillow. I fell asleep listening to the sound of his deep, even breathing, his heart beat steadily thudding beneath my ear.

**(oOoOoOoOo)**

I blinked my eyes open against the blinding white light, trying to desperately shield it out of my sight. I was warm, but it wasn't what I was used to; it wasn't Seth's heat I was feeling. It felt like the middle of a summer day, in which I would go down to the beach, lay out with a book and listen to the waves. I pushed myself up with my hands, recognizing the velvety softness of the pristine, emerald grass. And all at once, I knew where I was. The sky was still the clear, endless blue; the trees were still thick and full, hiding splendid secrets within their depths. I was back in Avalon.

I stood up stiffly, noticing that I was now draped in a rose colored silk gown, strapless with a sweetheart neckline and a diamond and pearl drop waist chain encircling my hips. Once more, I was barefoot and my ankles and wrists dripped in extravagant bracelets and chains, but I could also feel the addition of a heavy teardrop pendant sitting flush against the hollow of my throat. My hair was curled down my back, shifting with the slight breeze, and I could smell orange blossoms and crisp apples on the wind.

I turned toward the forest, making my way over silently, listening to the sounds of the Southern Summer Realm. When I reached the forest line, I paused, looking up into the trees.

"Vox? Are you there?"

I was met by the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves as a doe and her fawn leapt out from the brush. No sign of the mysterious guardian. I called out once again, listening more intently, keeping my sense of smell aimed for the familiar scent. When nothing alerted me to his presence, I moved down the rolling hill towards the meadow lake, sparkling aqua water reflecting the white sun's blaze. I noticed now, with nothing to distract me, that the sun seemed much closer to the atmosphere here, much larger and more intense in its rays.

When I reached the shore of the lake, I picked up my hem and navigated the smooth stones leading up to the water, keeping the silk out of the way as I submerged my toes into its gentle lapping. It was cool, but not cold; perfectly refreshing and the exact temperature you'd want after spending all day under the hot sun. Intended that way, no doubt.

I saw rather than heard the guardian's approach at last; the rippling of the lake told me that he was both massive and moving. I held my ground, swallowing the irrational fear that had taken me by surprise as I felt the earth moving beneath me. A quiet sigh escaped behind me, far enough away to tell me that Vox was still near the forest cover, and was followed by the heady, rich scent of blossoms and apples.

"Lorelai," he said from behind me. "You've returned."

"It looks like it," I laughed, stepping out of the cool water and back far enough so I was standing on the soft bank grass instead of the stones. I watched a few fly fish leap out of the water, ducking back under the surface with hardly a ripple, their transparent rainbow fins reflecting sparkling prisms back onto the water briefly. I opened my mouth to speak my question and turned around, my curiosity buzzing around in my blood.

I felt my eyes widen in shock and my question die on my lips; I stood there staring like a gaping fish, my throat drying up and effectively eliminating any chance of mine to speak. I knew that Avalon was a dream world but this…_this _was unbelievable.

"You seem surprised, Lorelai," Vox said amusedly. "Did you expect anything less would be fitting for a Guardian of Avalon?"

I was staring into those endless golden depths, the vaguely cat-eyed shape of the huge orbs more noticeable, now that I was looking directly at them. They were no longer floating, disembodied eyes either; I now could see, in great detail, what Vox was.

The head was triangular in shape, long and angular with a decidedly rough edge around the prominent cheekbones and jaw line. The massive cranium was situated on the graceful arch of a long, curved neck, attached to the muscular, aerodynamic body of a classic, European dragon. Its reptilian skin was the shimmering pure green shades of an emerald, every facet and glint hidden within each individual scale, including veins of blue, gold and purple. Two thick ivory horns pointed off the top of its head, with a line of razor sharp spikes pronouncing the rough cheeks of the creature's face. Several rows of glistening white teeth, each longer than my forearm, could be glimpsed when the dragon's lips parted, two particularly dangerous fangs so bright a white that it reminded me of the sun's hot glare.

A long row of translucent green spikes dotted down the vertebrae of the creature's neck, as if someone had found the world's largest, most perfect emerald jewels and chiseled them down into the dangerous accessories I now saw them as. The spikes lessened across the spine of its back, but picked up again once hitting the base of the tail, gathering in almost a thin club of spikes at its triangular tip. I could see a layer of lighter, sage green shimmering scales on the underbelly of the neck and body, and I took in the immense size of the coiled limbs, the graceful legs and haunches that were built for power and cruising the air. Five talons, curved and the same smooth ivory as its horns, sharpened into dagger points, decorated each of the four legs.

Folded to a resting position against its back, two massive wings, designed as a mixture of a bat and something reptilian, could be seen, fluctuating between the emerald and sage shades seen previously throughout the main body, the leathery textures revealing the intricate veins when the sun caught the light. More sharp spikes lined the top of the wings, which were constantly restless and ready to shake out and lift into the sky at a moment's notice. The dragon was standing in a proud, almost arrogant position, as if he knew I was both admiring and fearing him and trying to give me the best vantage to do both. Its tail flicked as a cat's would, restless and dangerous, the sharp club digging into the soft earth as easily as if it were loose soil, and not solidly packed dirt and rock.

At its full height, it was almost as large as some of the tallest Redwoods, broader than several HumVees stacked horizontally. It reminded me, in body structure and size, of a brachiosaurus, the way that the front shoulders were held slightly higher than the back haunches. Perfectly proportioned, it was the definition of symmetry, except for the several gnarled scars decorating its limbs. The scales glittered under the sun, reflecting the green tones onto my skin and gown. For the first time, I realized that for a beast of this magnitude, it should have been much louder, and much heavier; the bones must've been hollow, to allow for flight as well as subterfuge.

Vox allowed me to absorb this in silence, and I watched as he slowly, gracefully, lowered himself to the ground, folding his legs underneath him and his tail around his haunches, resembling a dog basking in warmth and glory. His wings stretched once, with a wingspan that could easily encompass two houses on each side, before fitting snugly against his back, his head dipping back to me so that I could more easily see his face. The familiar golden eyes, with cat-like shape, looked deep inside me, instilling a feeling of tranquility and trust and slowly easing my mounting fear.

"You're a dragon?" I said. I had meant it as a statement of fact, but it came out sounding like a choked question. Vox chuckled, deep and throaty, and exhaled, washing me in orange blossoms and apples.

"Indeed," he said. "All Guardians of Avalon are. 'Tis the species that differs amongst us. I would not do well in an arctic climate, you see."

It was then, seeing him in front of me, speaking to me, that I realized he wasn't actually _speaking_ out loud. I mean, he was talking, his words were spoken out loud, as if he were another, normal person I was carrying a conversation with, but his mouth, his _snout_, I guess, never moved. There was a whispery quality to his words that made me think that it was actually his thoughts I was hearing, thoughts that he projected to the outside acoustics. I felt a strange conviction build in my chest; the idea was crazy, but deep down, I knew it was the truth.

I moved closer, folding myself to the ground comfortably so that my back rested against a smooth, moss covered boulder. I blinked my eyes, once to clear the glare from the constant, blinding sun and once to clear my thoughts. I prided myself on adapting and persevering; I was a careful and logical thinker, and until I knew every facet of a situation, I kept my personal judgments in the back of my consciousness. I had accepted that Seth was a werewolf, that Edward and Bella were vampires, that there were supernatural forces at work in the world I thought I knew, and moved on; surely I could do the same in my dream world.

"Does it never get dark here?"

Vox chuckled deeply, and I realized that I'd voiced my thoughts out loud. Embarrassed, I looked up at the sky, where the blinding sun had reached its apex. Avalon was beautiful, but I knew better than anyone the peace and tranquility that a night sky could afford.

"Yes, it does, but Avalon's cycles are the true opposite of Earth's; midnight here, is noon there," Vox replied, flexing his neck up to follow a flock of geese as they took flight.

Well, that explained a lot. Both times I'd been transported here, it had been in the middle of the night, while I was asleep. I would have to be asleep during the day to see Avalon at night. But something else that Vox had said had perked my interest.

"You speak as if Avalon is a completely separate planet than Earth," I hinted, watching for any sort of reaction from the prehistoric beast. Vox lowered his head, piercing me with his golden, cat eyed gaze.

"In that assumption, you would be correct, Lorelai," he replied, his voice laced with a certain seriousness that quelled any desire at humorous sarcasm and teasing. "Avalon is located, for lack of a better term, in another dimension entirely. There are only a handful of ways to access it, and far too many have been ignored to the point of complete ignorance. There are four gates to enter Avalon, which can only be accessed by the fey, and another in the Diamond City, which was the only entrance for mortals to use."

"That's what you're Guardian of, isn't it?" I wondered aloud. "One of the gates?"

Vox nodded imperceptivity, still watching me closely, as if I were a puzzle that he was trying to desperately crack. I gazed back, undaunted by the large, intimidating creature, feeling more confident in myself with each passing moment.

"Lorelai, how did you get here?" he asked, not unkindly, but with an undercurrent that made me think he was worried. If I, a mere human as Vox had once put it, could enter a sacred, previously off-limits section of Avalon, than what else had been breached.

"I don't know, Vox," I replied with sincerity. "Both times, I've gone to bed and awoken here. I'm not making a conscious decision to be here. To be completely honest, I still believe that this is all a dream."

"Where is your body located?" Vox questioned almost immediately. I blinked once more, startled by the gentle giant's fierce expression. It was as if a current of pure, untouched power had run over him, his wings and tail bristling in apparent agitation. In one second, he'd transformed into the ancient predator of lore, incredible and unstoppable in battle. I now gathered new information when looking at the angry white scars littering his body; they were badges of war; the ones he'd fought and won. I realized now that he believed that somehow, it was my spirit that was entering Avalon, a bone chilling notion that shook me to my core. Back on Earth, my body lay next to Seth's. An array of bizarre questions pummeled me, knocking my breath from my chest. Was I still breathing? How long could I stay here, without serious damage being done? But most emphatically, how was this possible?

"In Forks, Washington, on the La Push Reservation," I replied quietly. I didn't know if Vox understood where that meant, but he nodded his head in understanding. His head dipped lower, leveling with my eyes.

"Listen to me Lorelai," he said calmly. "Are you nearby someplace safe? Somewhere you can be protected?"

I nodded numbly, thinking of Seth and the wolves. I would always be safe with him. Vox sighed in approval and relief.

"There is something about you that is important, Lorelai, only I do not know of its nature. As long as you are safe there, I will be able to discover as much as I can here. Until then, try to refrain from entering Avalon."

"I don't know how," I said, hating the way my voice sounded small and meek. "I told you, I come here unprovoked."

"I understand. But there is someone there who knows how to help. Find them. I will call for you when I've learned more," he said solemnly. I shook my head, my mind more muddled than ever. It was as if I had just woken up from a nap, completely disoriented.

"How will I know that you've called me?" I wondered, imagining Vox attempting to use a telephone. He chuckled, and a gust of apples and orange blossoms perfumed the air around me.

"You'll know." With that simple assurance, Vox pressed the tip of his snout to my forehead, the cool contact jolting in a familiar and unwelcomed way. I could feel my body spiraling from the inside out, the vortex claiming me away from Avalon. It was gentler somehow, not as nauseating and painful.

Vox was sending me home.

"Be careful, Lorelai."

**(oOoOoOoOo)**

I blinked, confused at the sudden darkness. The sun, ever full and luminous, was shining through the window, bringing with it a crisp, sea drenched breeze that washed over my feverish face. Deep breathing filled the otherwise silent bedroom, and I glanced to my right; Seth was sound asleep, his face relaxed in the most peaceful expression I'd seen on him. Unguarded, he reclaimed some of his innocence that I think was lost long ago.

Feeling hot and claustrophobic, I untangled myself from the bed, moving to the open window where I could cool down in the night air. Distantly, I could hear the ocean gently lapping against the cliffs, the quiet roar of the waves soothing to my seriously erratic nerves. Never had I experienced such vivid dreams, and never with results similar to nightmares. I leaned against the windowsill, wondering how my overactive imagination came up with such brilliant, disturbing ideas and characters. I mean, seriously? Avalon? A Dragon Guardian? I needed to lay off the Arthurian legends the BM offered to me, free of charge.

With the moonlight on my face, blocking out all but the most stunning of stars, I calmed my breathing and relished in the cool air against my flamed skin. Feeling more relaxed and still completely exhausted, I turned to head back to bed, stopping once I felt an unfamiliar weight at my neck. Knowing that I hadn't put on jewelry the night before, I quickly crossed the room to the vanity mirror attached to Seth's lone dresser. Apart from my tangled hair and flushed cheeks, I looked fine. The large bulge beneath the sweatshirt neckline, however, told a different story.

Feeling my pulse begin to race, I forced my stiff fingers into action, pulling down the neck of the sweatshirt to reveal a glittering silver chain. I pushed the neck down lower, and caught my breath; laying flush against the hollow of my neck rested a large, exquisite tear drop diamond, cut flawlessly so that the facets reflected the moonlight onto the deep oak wood of Seth's bedroom floor. Mounted in platinum, it was surrounded by small, perfectly cut emeralds and sapphires, reflecting the jewel-tone hues of my eyes. I removed my hands, now trembling violently, all the while thinking one thing.

Avalon was real.

**Please review! Please, please, please review! If I have at least five reviews, I promise to post chapter 13 much sooner :)**


	13. Discovery

**Okay, so this is the last chapter that will leave some of the major questions unanswered. Starting with Chapter 14, all will begin to be revealed...*waggling, evil eyebrows***

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Seth's POV**

I shifted over to my side, subconsciously stretching my arm out along the mattress to pull Lorelai back against me. I'd always been a heavy sleeper, but never had it been as restful as when she was sleeping beside me, wrapped safely in my arms. Instead of encountering a warm, feminine body, however, I only felt the empty sheets and blankets, the cool temperature telling me that nobody had been sleeping there for a while.

Like a flash, Wolf had me fully awake and out of bed, my eyes scanning the dark expanse of my bedroom. Apart from myself, the room was empty…Lorelai wasn't here. I moved to the window, trying to keep my irrational fears under control, staring out at the horizon. Where the sky and the ocean line met, the deep velvet black of night was beginning to fade into the dark indigo that hinted at sunrise. We'd only been asleep for two to three hours, but the bed felt as if she'd been gone just as long.

Unable to think calmly anymore, I spun on my heel, pushing through my door, trying to desperately pick up on anything, something to find her. I took to the stairs, stopping to look in every room, closet and behind every door along the way. Over and over, I was hit with images of Lorelai missing, lost, hurt…all unacceptable and feeding the growing red haze that was beginning to cloud my vision. I was ten seconds from calling Jake and the pack into a full fledged search party, when something caught my attention.

_Look,_ Wolf whispered, the growl deep and protective, feeling everything I did, but only in its most basic nature; he didn't understand human emotions. What he understood was that what belonged to Us was gone, and We had no way of tracking her…of bringing her back.

Or so I thought.

With Wolf's suggestion, I looked back up the stairs, blinking several times before realizing that I wasn't going insane; what I was seeing was real, or at least, real in Our eyes. A shimmering aqua trail, similar to what I could only describe as fairy dust (if Disney characters were real) sat hovering in the air. It was enchanting and ethereally beautiful, and I found myself drawn to it, like a moth to light. I walked up the stairs, taking it all in. The trail lead from my bedroom, into the hall and then into the bathroom, the door hanging open, with no one inside. I stopped directly in front of the glittering trail, my hand lifting into the azure path on its own accord, hypnotized as my deep skin tone became drenched in the microscopic, brilliant prisms.

The minute my fingers touched the path, I felt as if I had been standing ankle deep in the ocean, only to be swept under by a massive wave, tumbling head first into its unfathomable depths. I was hit by a sudden wall of trembling fear, bitter confusion, and damp exhaustion. Registering the emotions, Wolf and I realized that what we were feeling, it wasn't Our emotions. They were someone else's emotions.

_Lorelai's_, Wolf murmured, looking at the glitter dust in an awed fascination. I took a deep breath on instinct, shocked when I picked up a fairly fresh scent. It was a blend of southern pears, deep, refreshing jasmine and heady vanilla, and for the first time, I had a scent to match Lorelai. Removing my hand, I followed the path into the bathroom, pausing at the closed window, narrowing my gaze as I saw the trail disappear through the glass and curve to the right. There was nothing that way but a large pine tree that held a tire swing I'd put up for Claire to play on when she came to visit…

_Stupid!_ Wolf admonished us, growling irritably. _It's where We go to think_.

I shook my head and blinked against the growing morning rays. The sky was now mottled shades of violet, indigo and navy, the sun beginning to peek out over the horizon. I looked back towards the shimmering path and ran my hand through my hair in confusion; it was no longer there, and nothing had been left behind, no residue, no lasting specks of aqua glitter to clean up later. I wondered briefly if this was one of the imprint attributes that Jake had told me to look for, but almost simultaneously pushed it away. I'd seen into my pack brothers' minds, and there was nothing like what I'd just seen to hint it was an imprint commonality. Whatever I'd just been witnessed to, it was unique to Lorelai, to whatever she was.

Moving with determination and a confidence that helped mask my mounting fear, I pushed the large window open, pulling myself onto the ledge I'd added specifically for this purpose. It gave me access to the roof, as well as a direct line into the forest, should I ever need it. Keeping my precarious hold on the house, I scanned the abnormally large tree below, following the thick rope securely knotted to the strongest, sturdiest bough, all the way to where the tire swing hovered, a good three feet off the ground. There, sitting inside the swing, her head resting against the worn rubber in a manner that immediately told me she was asleep, was Lorelai.

I didn't think; I just moved, leaping off the second story and tucking myself into ball as I spun through the frigid morning air, landing on the balls of my feet with barely a thud. I didn't allow my shocked muscles to freeze upon impact; instead I walked determinedly to the tire swing, kneeling down to easily scoop Lorelai into my arms. Wolf gave a grunt of satisfaction, content with the knowledge that she was back and that she was safe.

She'd thrown on a pair of green sweatpants before leaving the house, but her face against my chest was like ice, her rich, blue-black hair a frozen sheet flowing over my arm. She stirred at my sudden warmth. She shifted, burrowing into my body in an unconscious declaration of comfort and trust. An overwhelming desire to protect her at all costs flooded my mind, and I stood up directly, cradling her gently against my chest. As I began walking back into the house, taking the back door that led through the living room and into the foyer, her eyes opened blearily, the brilliant Mediterranean blue color deeper than I'd ever seen them, the rings of emerald green shimmering under the early sunrise light.

"Seth?" she murmured, her voice sultry with sleep. I swallowed, taking the steps on the porch two at a time.

"What were you doing?" I asked softly, noticing now that I could still smell the fragrant notes of vanilla, jasmine and pears; in fact, it was more fragrant now that we were in the open. I noticed the darkening rings under her eyes, evidence of her exhaustion.

"I couldn't sleep," she murmured, confirming my suspicions.

I nodded and then paused, remembering that I had come out the window, where her trail (because I knew for certain that what I had seen was a physical manifestation of Lorelai's scent trail) had led me directly to her.

"Lorelai?" I murmured, watching her stir awake. "How did you get outside?"

"Through the window," she sighed sleepily, snuggling deeper into my chest. I momentarily lost my train of thought.

I opened my mouth to voice my next question when a wave of recognition hit me; there, sitting under the window, was the white washed climbing arbor that Alice had insisted upon nearly two months ago, now covered in thick ivy and morning glories.

Annoying, tiny psychic vampire. I needed to thank her when I next saw her.

I unlocked the back door and took Lorelai back upstairs, tucking her in beneath the sheets and comforter to try and keep the warmth with her. Almost immediately, she curled into the side I usually slept on, burrowing her face in my pillow. A warm glow spread over my body, my blood humming in contentment.

I was too worked up to go back to bed, despite how inviting it might be, so I turned to look out the window, feeling the sea breeze wash across my face. I inhaled deeply, tasting the tang of salt on my tongue and the far away relish of ozone manifesting into something larger.

_Hurricane_, Wolf confirmed, noticing the silence of the woods and the migration of geese and birds to the south. I nodded, making a mental note to mention it to Alice and the Cullens.

I turned on my heel, deciding a hot shower might remind me of my earlier exhaustion, and stopped, staring at my dresser. I didn't have a lot in my room, I didn't require a lot to begin with, so that made me very well versed in what did or did not belong in it. And the massive diamond necklace resting underneath my bureau mirror certainly did _not_ belong.

I was aware that having an imprint meant making changes, and that included adjusting to living with a woman. Clothes, jewelry, etc, and that was all fine. But the necklace on my dresser was the type of jewelry that, man or woman, you wouldn't forget. There was something extremely unique about it, as if an entire history, surmounting centuries, were behind it. I had every image of Lorelai, what she was wearing, how her hair had been, burned into my memory, and not once had I seen this necklace.

So whose was it?

Scanning the room with my eyes, searching for the person I knew wasn't there, I stepped forward, moving to examine it more closely, and was stopped by the immediate instinct of experiencing another predator in _my _territory.

_Threat, threat, threat._

The mantra played in my head, over and over again, my lips curling back over my teeth as an unstoppable growl rolled from my throat, a red haze beginning to cloud my vision. My control was slipping, and when I blinked, I was seeing as Wolf, the beast and the hunter, not as Seth. With this new perspective I could see a faint glow around the necklace, practically humming with ancient power.

Whatever this was, it was old, it was potent, and it was deadly.

I looked over my shoulder, back at Lorelai, beautiful and vulnerable in sleep, and felt a surge in my protective instincts. I needed to get rid of the threat, immediately. I reached for the necklace, bracing myself for some sort of burn or shock, and was surprised when it was simply cool to the touch. I picked it up and headed downstairs, unsure of where I was going, but knowing that I had to get this thing out of my house.

"Damn it," I cursed as I hit the first floor. The familiar reassurance of _Pack_ and strong smell of cedar and rain told me that Jake was here, and the cloying, sweet aroma of honey nectar and sunshine told me that both Alice and Edward were with him.

Technically, although the line between races had been all but exterminated, the Cullens couldn't cause war by accidently stepping on Quileute land; however, the tribe, and especially the La Push Pack, felt a little better if they still respected the distance; the compromise was that the Cullens hosted large family style events at their place for both packs to participate in. Another had been that some of the PCP houses, which had been built upon graduation, kind of like an incentive to keep up in school, had been built on the reservation, but backing the woods bordering Cullen land; that way, the Cullens could come to those homes without the tribe and its people feeling threatened.

My house, along with Jake's (although he was hardly there) were usually the prime spots for impromptu meetings such as these, and I usually didn't mind them. This was not one of those times.

"Door's open," I said, skipping the last couple of stairs as the front door opened. Jake, in standard issue khakis, walked in, sweeping me with his eyes. He didn't realize that he did it every time he saw one of his wolves, and we didn't tell him that we knew he did, but it had started after he'd completely accepted the Alpha role. His nature said to protect what was his, and that included Nessie, the Cullens, and especially his wolves. I knew right now he didn't approve of what he was seeing, me sleepless, restless, and in full, protective wolf mode.

"Thought you'd be asleep," he said, raising an eyebrow, his eyes flaring. I got a strong whiff of cedar and fresh rain, our Pack's scent, and knew he was worried. I was usually one of the wolves Jake didn't need to worry about, same as Leah, so when something was wrong with either of us, he paid special attention. I fought the instinct to snarl in irritation.

"Need to take care of something," I said, clutching the necklace in my grasp. I looked behind my Alpha, where Edward and Alice were speaking quietly, still dressed in the barbeque clothes they'd worn. Seeing my attention, they stopped, and took a look at my expression. I did my best to mask my emotions, but they could read me like an open book, so it was pointless. My pride wouldn't have it, though.

Alice stepped forward, removing a small velvet drawstring pouch from the red leather handbag hanging from her forearm. The pouch was foreign in design, hand stitched in rough aboriginal designs that somehow seemed authentic. Her face was smooth, reassuring without instigating my protective rage, and her small and familiar stature erased some of the red haze still clouding my vision.

Jacob was obviously confused at Alice's strange approach, and I watched as he was slowly assaulted by the dangerous power produced by the necklace. He registered the feeling same as I had, and his nostrils flared, the quivering of his fingers pronouncing his serious anger and agitation; Jake had mastered the hold of his emotions a while back. It took a lot to let him loose even a slip of carefully maintained control.

Edward remained composed, simultaneously reading all three of our minds, and I allowed myself to clear my head of current thoughts, focusing on what happened when I woke up to find Lorelai missing, lingering on the glitter trail, her new found scent, and discovering the ancient necklace. His gold eyes flickered in curiosity, and I could see the gears turning as he thought it over. He seemed too aware to me, as if I had just confirmed whatever he had been thinking.

"Seth."

Alice is standing in front of me, the bag extended and open, inviting me to drop the jewelry inside. Something, however, made me hold on to it. It was in _my_ house…it was _my _responsibility to dispose of the thing. I bit back the growl that had begun to force its way from my throat; Alice was not the enemy here, and with some effort, I forced Wolf to back off.

Alice's eyes, such a light gold that I knew she had fed recently, widened subtly, urging me to drop the necklace into her tiny bag. I nodded once, forcing my immobilized arm into action, releasing the diamond concoction into the depths of the black velvet. Almost immediately, Alice pulled the strings close, placing the bag back inside her larger red one, and smiled radiantly.

It was as if the pouch had absorbed all of the negative energy associated with the necklace, within me, within the room. It was like a thousand pounds had been lifted from my shoulders; Wolf retreated into a slumber within myself, and I saw that the tension in Jacob had disappeared as well. He was looking between Edward and Alice with the closest thing to anger that I'd seen in a while; it was honestly more like a seriously annoyed glare, but he was still pissed. I just didn't know at whom.

"What is that?" I asked Alice, my eyes darting to her handbag and back.

"Something I picked up from a shaman when we went to visit Zafrina last fall," she shrugged. "It's meant to trap powerful energies hidden in objects. I thought it might come in handy."

Meaning she saw something that garnered its value and importance. Jake stepped up, folding his arms over his chest, staring me down in the eye.

"And what the hell did she just trap, exactly?" he asked, his voice gruff, a subtle edge making it rougher than usual. I recognized the sound; its how my own voice sounded when Wolf was close to the surface.

I recapped everything, just as I did for Edward a few minutes ago, watching Alice and Jake's expressions as I mentioned Lorelai's scent and the mysterious aqua dust that had led me to her, only to vanish without a trace. Alice soaked in everything like a sponge, but it was my Alpha I watched. And when I realized why they were here, Wolf was up and at attention; We were floored.

"You told them," We echoed, the red haze creeping against Our vision. I tried to reason with Wolf, Edward and Alice were Our friends, Our allies, but then the picture of Lorelai sleeping upstairs, unaware and unconscious, shut those thoughts off effectively. We would protect her…always.

"We already knew," Edward said softly, his soothing tone doing nothing to calm Us down. We stared him down, knowing full well that he could hear Us and not caring besides. Edward stepped forward, his palms held out, exposing himself to Us. "Seth, Bella and I met her before you, and we knew something wasn't right."

We looked to Jake, who was nodding at Us reassured.

"Living room. Now," We growled, trudging through the hall and into the most often used room in the house besides the kitchen. Alice danced over to the black suede couch, and her usual, bubbling attitude began to ebb the red haze away. Jake and Edward followed, both refusing to sit.

"You remember when Bella and I left for Seattle about a week ago," Edward started. "We went to an art gala in the stead of Carlisle and Esme. While we were there, we were seated at the most coveted table at the event, due to the people we had joined. It included the famous Archaeologist, Art Dealer and Author, Emilio Savione, and his protégé daughter, Lorelai.

"They were both charming and kind and so completely used to this spectacle that they seemed rather bored. That was the first thing that Bella noticed, that they looked as if they should have been elsewhere, changing the world. I took notice then, trying to confirm her suspicions. Emilio was, _is_, a genuine man, with an open and loving mind. His concern was only for his daughter, who had returned from a six month deal in Bangkok, and who immediately flew to Seattle to accompany her father to this annual event. He was worried that she was exhausted, overexerting herself…"

The red haze was gone, as was Wolf's immediate presence; I could think as myself again. Beginning to feel the lack of sleep, I sat on the couch, watching as Jacob and Edward did the same. Lorelai and I hadn't talked much of her past, we hadn't had time, but he was giving me something to think about.

I knew that Edward and Bella had gone in Carlisle's place to the art gala where he had been invited as a new benefactor. According to Bella, only the most prominent contributors in the ancient artifact community would be in attendance, something she had been extremely nervous about. She had spent the week brushing up on her ancient history.

Lorelai and Emilio were extremely important in their profession; they were the Steve and Liv Tyler of that world. So why was she still here?

Yes, I was her imprint. There would never be a time when I stopped loving her with my Mind, Body, and Soul. But she had a choice. She still did. She could choose to leave, live her life, make a difference in the world, and I would gladly stand by, protecting her along the way. She didn't have the immediate and binding commitment that I had; she didn't have to stay near me. She'd had a life before me, one where she was recognized and appreciated by a group of people whose opinions mattered to her. She could and should return to it, without any guilt.

"I tried to get a read on her, see how she was faring, and was met by static."

I looked to Edward in surprise, momentarily distracted from my darkening thoughts. "Static?"

He nodded, more curious than troubled. "It wasn't like with Bella, where it was nothing but silence. It was like television static, like I'd tuned to a nonfunctioning channel. It became a low buzzing in my head, to the point where I had to force myself to block her out, because it was beginning to be painful. I waited a few minutes and tried again; instead of static, I saw a vision of shimmering colors, every shade of the rainbow and more, dancing and swirling like the Northern Lights. It was incredible, and confusing."

Edward couldn't read Lorelai's mind. But it wasn't like Bella, who'd had a special gift for shielding her mind from the manipulation of others; Lorelai actually was projecting images and sounds with no rhyme or reason.

"It was the same with me," Alice piped in, sounding a bit piqued at the memory. "The first time her presence interfered, I got static, loud, annoying, disruptive. It came when I was trying to plan the barbeque, a few months ago. I didn't know what it meant, and the next time I had anything similar to the static, the vision was interrupted by a menagerie of watercolors. Nothing else; just colors."

"Alice was thinking about it when Bella and I came home. We put two and two together, and then, Jake tells us that you imprinted on a girl who was visiting Seattle. We needed to know if our assumptions were right, that it was Lorelai Savione."

I inhaled deeply, distantly registering the pressure and weight of a reassuring hand on my shoulder; Jake was here to offer support. But for what? I looked at Edward and then at Alice, knowing at once that they weren't done with their information.

"What else?" I asked, the exhaustion I had ignored finally taking over. Alice jumped back in.

"Jasper can't control her emotions," she said. I jolted in surprise, knowing full well that Jasper's abilities on a person were physical, whereas Alice and Edward's were mental. "When she was at the barbeque, I asked him to see if she reacted the same as everyone else. He isolated it to only induce her to the emotions, but she never reacted; happy, sad, angry, calm, energetic, nothing. She wasn't affected once."

"What does this mean?" I asked, directing it to Jacob, who was still grasping my shoulder in comfort. I felt vulnerable, thrown off-balance and absorbed with a growing worry for Lorelai. I needed to protect her; but that meant discovering exactly what she was.

"It means research, Seth," Edward said gently, another soothing presence for my peace of mind. "None of us think she's in any danger, but we're going to look into a couple of things and see if anything registers, and that necklace will help, I believe. What else can you tell us about Lorelai?"

My voice was low, as I realized that I still didn't know that much about her. "She's only ever mentioned her Dad, I don't know anything about her Mom. She's French and Egyptian. That's all I know that I think could be of use to you guys."

Alice nodded, flitting to my side to give me a cold peck to the cheek. "It's plenty, Seth. Go get some rest. We'll let you know anything we find."

Edward gave me a brotherly hug, following Alice out the door.

"Hey, Alice?" I piped in, remembering my earlier promise to myself. She stopped, and turned around, a bright smile lighting up her face.

"Yes, there is a hurricane coming, it should be arriving approximately tomorrow evening, around 6. And I told you that arbor would be more than just a pretty picture."

I grinned, shaking my head. "Thanks, Alice."

She waved energetically, following Edward out the front door and leaving Jacob and me alone. He shook my shoulder a bit, grabbing my attention.

"You can smell her?" he reaffirmed. I nodded, knowing he meant Lorelai, and felt my eyelids beginning to droop.

"Vanilla, jasmine and pears," I said, shaking my head in an effort to wake myself up.

"Go to bed, Seth," he chuckled, pushing me in the direction of the stairs. "If I see you so much as conscious at sunrise, you'll be running doubles for a week."

I smiled, waiting until he closed the front door with a quiet click before trudging back up the stairs, meandering back into my cool bedroom. Lorelai was still cuddled up underneath the sheets, and I collapsed in beside her, fully and completely exhausted.

Almost as soon as I hit the mattress, Lorelai was curled against my side, her silken head resting in the crook of my neck and shoulder, releasing a sigh and the tension in her body. Instinctively I wrapped my arm around her, keeping her close, breathing in the scent I had just discovered. I pressed my lips against her forehead, the last thing on my mind jasmine and pears before I fell asleep.

**Please, Please, Please Review! :D**


	14. Banphrionsa

**Chapter Fourteen**

The scalding water pounded away a layer of grime and dried sweat, washing away the dirt coating my feet and hands. What the hell had I been thinking, climbing out a window in the dead of night? I was slowly loosing my mind.

I massaged my scalp with sure fingers, berating myself all the while. The steam in the shower was thick enough to distract me, smelling strongly of Seth's sandalwood soap, a smell I could only detect on him if he had just showered; his natural scent of juniper wood, sea spray, and cinnamon usually overrode it. I preferred it anyway, but the sandalwood was still soothing, masculine and safe.

I had woken up with a massive migraine and more than a few sore muscles, a hazy memory of needing to go outside for some air, and deciding that the climbing arbor outside of the bathroom window was somehow better than the back door. I shook my head again, wondering for the millionth time how Seth had found me outside. Sure, he was a werewolf, but in the back yard, under a massive tree wouldn't be my first guess.

My stomach growled and I laughed out loud, rinsing my hair out one last time before I turned off the faucet and toweled off, wrapping another towel turban-style around my head. My headache had become more manageable, although the distant throbbing was still there. I brushed my teeth and combed out my hair, taking the time to blow dry it into long strands of blue-black silk. I wiped off the condensation on the mirror, taking in my appearance. My eyes seemed brighter somehow, clearer, the dual colors more pronounced.

I changed into my other pair of jeans, thankfully washed, deliberate frayed holes along the thighs and knees that I distantly recalled as being picked up in Dublin when I had first met Noelle, two years ago. I also slipped into a thin t-shirt, picked up in the same thrift store as the jeans, made of the softest cotton and with a Celtic dragon spiraling around the torso in vibrant jewel tones. It was one of my favorite shirts to date.

Seth was downstairs, talking with Simon and Andrew, who had officially made the transition to Jacob's pack, and were talking over patrol shifts and getting acquainted with the pack dynamic. Normal stuff.

_What is normal, anymore?_ I wondered, pausing by the dresser to put on socks and my shoes. I rubbed the temples of my forehead, grimacing as the pressure briefly subsided. I remembered that there had been a reason for me leaving the house last night, why else would I go outside, but for the life of me, I couldn't recall the reason!

I ran my fingertips across the smooth, polished surface of Seth's dresser, the wood grain sanded to near perfection, and yet lacking the refined quality of professionally done furniture. There were several other pieces in the house that were similar in style, which made me wonder at what else I had to learn about Seth.

I tapped the dresser once and left the room, taking the stairs two at a time and whirling into the kitchen with a speed that wasn't quite controlled. The boys were no longer sitting at the table, but standing around the living room, the exact target of my current trajectory.

"Oof!" The air was knocked from my chest as Seth snagged me from around the waist, twirling me up and around so that my feet were lifted clear off the ground, avoiding the almost certain collision I would have had with the coffee table. I giggled as Seth spun me, wriggling in his arms so that he'd put me down. "Seth! Stop it!"

His laughing was deep, trembling into my bones, mixing with my own laughter, and I distantly heard the chuckling of Simon and Andrew, who were still standing in the living room, their hands shoved awkwardly in their jean pockets. At long last, and without a single gust of oxygen in my lungs, Seth placed me back on the floor, silencing any protest I might have with a searing kiss that effectively erased any thoughts I had begun to think.

When he broke away, I blinked, dazed and more than a bit embarrassed. Seth grinned, obviously pleased with himself, and wrapped an arm comfortably around my shoulders, enveloping me with heat. I cleared my throat, and shot him a half-hearted glare, turning my attention on the two sixteen year olds.

Simon and Andrew were taller, and much more bulky than any other sixteen year old adolescent boys I'd ever seen, each of them standing at six foot two with an ease that was in contradiction with their long, gangly limbs and oversized hands and feet. They'd shown up in matching denim cutoffs, much like the rest of the pack (I'd only ever seen Seth and Jacob wear shirts with the uniform of pants), and I could see the family resemblance between them, which I knew would only become more pronounced in the presence of Gabriel, Simon's older brother. They both had the same square jaw and wide cheekbones, dark thick brows framing deep set eyes that somehow seemed wiser, more intelligent despite their young age. Both had the characteristic russet colored skin that all the Quileute wolves possessed, but the familiarity ended there.

Andrew, who Seth told me was older than his cousin by a month and a day, had a lopsided grin and a slightly crooked nose, his eyes a deep bark color that glimmered humorously. His hair, like most of the wolves, was cut short, at least, along the sides. On top, a flop of ink black hair was combed down, in some kind of makeshift, modern fo-hawk. He had a single gold hoop in his left ear, glinting at me from under the light, and I wondered briefly how a werewolf managed pierced ears.

"Hi, Lorelai," the light tenor distracted me, as did the wide, happy-go-lucky smile. Simon was, by far, one of the happiest kids I'd ever seen, so much so that he reminded me of younger, more inexperienced version of Seth. He had a generous mouth, which I knew would gain him attention in a few years from the opposite sex, and a clear cut, aristocratic nose, which told me that he must have some kind of European blood in him. His hair was short, but not buzzed, and a decidedly lighter caramel color than anyone else's, flaxen streaks highlighting throughout. His eyes were also strange, an icy blue without a hint of darker pigmentation, the same color as his seal-pointed wolf's eyes.

"Hey, Simon, Andrew," I smiled, leaning into Seth. "Congrats."

Andrew grinned, running his hand through his hair, color clouding his cheeks. Around his wrist was a thick leather band, wrapped several times around his wrist and forearm, his name and the initials _PCP_ carved into the thickest part. Seeing it now, I also noticed an identical one around Simon's wrist, this one boasting his name beside the strange initials. Feeding off of my instinct, I took hold of Seth's hand and drew it around my waist, using the action to mask my glance at his wrist and forearm; yet another matching leather band, the name _Seth_ carved into it, wrapped around familiarly, something I hadn't noticed before.

Seth's bracelet seemed older, more worn than Simon and Andrew's, and was a lighter color, evidence of its age. I secreted my curiosity away for later. Seth claimed my attention, running his fingers through my hair with languid ease.

"What's up?" he asked, ignoring the wandering and uncomfortable eyes of the two young wolves still standing in the room. His eyes, dark chocolate with gold flecking around the pupils, were brighter in the morning, hungrily lingering on my mouth and sending warm tingling throughout my hands and feet.

I opened my mouth to answer and was interrupted by several light knocks on the door. Seth stiffened for a brief moment and I knew he was scenting the air, testing to see who would be outside his home. He relaxed almost immediately, kissing my hair and moving to answer. His voice was joined by the familiar light, and somewhat exasperated tone of a noticeably waddling Emily. She was large, and by that I mean HUGE; I hurried over and watched her grin in relief. In answer to my questioning look, she said,

"Sam is growing paranoid. And for a wolf, especially an Alpha, that means hyper-protective-awareness."

Seth coughed, hiding a smile. Emily glared up at him, the closest I'd seen her to truly irritated. "You know you'd be the exact same way if Lorelai was pregnant. So I'd wipe that smirk off your face, Seth Clearwater, or you'll really see me upset. And then Sam will be coming after your pelt."

Seth paled instantly, his eyes widening. This time, it was my turn to grin. He waved Simon and Andrew, who'd remained deathly silent, through the front door, gave me a quick kiss, and followed them out, effectively leaving me and Emily alone in the house. She turned to me with a radiant, if exhausted grin and I laughed, leading her into the kitchen.

"Tea?" I asked, waiting until she'd seated herself at the table before filling the painted tea kettle with water and lighting the stove, waiting for it to boil.

"Ginger, if you have it," she said, rubbing her neck and stomach simultaneously.

A little thing I learned about Seth was that he wasn't a big coffee drinker, unless he was on a double shift. He was huge on tea though, hot tea, iced tea, tea when you're sick, cold, drowsy or need to sleep. He kept a stock on practically every brand _and_ flavor in his cabinets, plenty so that, in the event of an apocalypse, he'd have his tea.

I found the ginger tea and two mugs, and then sat across from her, waiting for the water.

"So, you needed a haven," I commented, curious as to why she chose Seth's place out of them all, considering that he wasn't in Sam's pack.

"There's a good chance that no matter where I go, a wolf is there, especially Sam's wolves, seeing as they are the majority who've imprinted. And they would've hovered, me being the Alpha's imprint. Seth belongs to Jacob, and so he wouldn't feel the need to hover, other than being concerned, but that's who Seth is. He worries because he cares."

"When are you due?" I asked, lacing my fingers. She smirked wryly.

"Last Tuesday," she said, rolling her eyes. "They don't want to see the world yet."

I nodded my head in understanding, and then froze, my eyes glued to her.

"They? As in, you're having more than one?" I couldn't help the surprise in my tone. But it did explain the over largeness of Emily's abdomen.

"Twins," she affirmed, massaging tiny circles around her stomach. "Sam doesn't know."

If I'd been drinking the tea, I would have spit it out. "How is that possible? I mean, don't the wolves have special hearing? Wouldn't he be able to tell the difference between hearing two heartbeats and three?"

"It's been difficult, keeping it from him," she said, the strain of the pregnancy and the secret of carrying two babies, not just one, taking its toll on her. "Everyone in both packs, the Elder Council and the Cullens are all in on it. Maintaining a full pack has distracted him enough for the majority of the pregnancy, but now that I'm past my due date, it's been full soon-to-be daddy duty."

"Why haven't you told him?"

Emily paused, her cheeks flooding with color as she looked studiously at anything else in the room. At last, she sighed, rubbing her swollen fingers before speaking.

"Sam's been under a lot of stress for a long time," she said regretfully, as if she'd had a part in it. "We waited two years before we finally got married, and even then, we never planned for kids until later. He was already stretched too thin getting the new wolves used to being in a pack." She looked up at me, sad, but still with the glow of an expectant mother. "Don't get me wrong, we were elated when we found out I was pregnant, but he's so worried about keeping me and the baby safe, all the time, that I knew if he learned I was carrying twins, he wouldn't be able to focus on leading the Pack."

She sighed, and I desperately reached for a change in mood. "What are you having?"

She smiled, the light dancing in her eyes. "I don't know. I wanted that to be a surprise for both of us."

I nodded, and the kettle whistled, distracting me for a few moments as I steeped the tea in the water for several minutes and pour it into the two mugs, dropping two pieces of crystallized ginger in each mug and bringing them back to the table. Emily wrapped her fingers around the heated ceramic, sighing in relief, and took slow, even sips, inhaling the aromatic steam.

"Is Dr. Cullen delivering the babies?" I asked, assuming that with the close relationship of the coven and the packs, having someone with centuries of experience would be obvious.

"After a long debate with my husband, who still tends to hold his prejudices against anything vampire, yes. But Leah and Rachel will be there as well, and both packs will be outside, keeping Sam in check. Thank God for small favors, right?"

"It's what I always say."

We sat in companionable silence for a while, drinking the tea and listening to the quiet music of the ocean and the sea birds singing in the woods. After a while, I got up and made some sandwiches, finding a jar of pickles and some Tostitos chips in the pantry.

Emily and I talked about her plans for the twins, the nursery that Sam had remodeled with the help of Paul, Jared, Brady and Collin, and who'd also helped her with stashing the second crib, car seat, carrier, etc. We talked about potential names, ones she and Sam had talked over but never really considered. We talked and talked and laughed and joked for an hour. I made another cup of tea for the both of us. Eventually, Emily's cell phone rang, the _Psycho_ theme song exploding across the kitchen.

Emily rolled her eyes and mouthed, "Sam," before answering with a sigh.

"Yes, dear?" she asked, not even attempting to keep the patronizing and slightly condescending tone from her voice.

I giggled, biting my lower lip to keep the sound to a minimum. I could hear Sam on the other side of the phone, frantic. The grin on Emily's face told me it was nothing serious, just the Alpha freaking out over her extended disappearance. I listened to Emily placate her husband with soothing words, listening to him half heartedly and with the phone an arm's length away whenever he spoke.

"I'll be home in ten minutes. And so help me, Samuel Uley, if I see any wolf, yours or Jake's, tailing me, I _will_ kill you myself."

With that last warning she hung up the phone, sliding it into her pocket and taking a final sip of her tea. I walked her to the door and watched her disappear up the path, waving until she could no longer see me before I closed the door and headed back inside.

Seth was back in the kitchen, judging that it was deemed safe with the pregnant woman gone to be wandering in his own home again. He saw me enter and graced me with an overly stylized frown, holding his kettle in his hands.

"You drank my tea," he said with mock severity. I walked right up to him, wrapping my arms around his warm waist, and kissed the hollow of his collarbone, pulling back just enough to see the corner of his lips turn up. He placed the now-empty kettle back on the stove, and ran his fingers through my hair, dragging them over my spine so that goose-bumps rose on my arms.

"I'm going over to Rachel's," I told him, unable to keep my eyes from wandering back to his lips, feeling a warm flush crawl up my neck. "She and Melanie are taking me up to Port Angeles for some shopping, since I'm in need of some things if I'm staying here a while." I had remembered my promise to be there by two, and it was bordering on one o' clock now, so I needed to head out soon.

Seth made a face to show me how disappointed he was, which earned a small laugh, not nearly satisfying enough. I squeezed his waist once, turned a bright smile on the boys, who'd just walked back inside, and headed into the living room to grab my bag. I declined the offer of a ride since it was a short walk and I wanted to spend some time outdoors, in the fresh air. As I was walking out the door, Seth handed me my cell phone and gave me a tender kiss goodbye. "Be sure to be back by six, or find someplace to stay in Port Angeles. There's a hurricane coming tonight." I nodded, gave him a smile and with a final wave, I left.

I followed the dirt path into the woods, knowing that it was the surest and quickest way to the houses on the other side of the reservation. Seth's home, while a constant source of meetings and meals, was located away from the main hub of the reservation, and it made me wonder if 'pack dynamics' had nothing to do with it. Still, the path cut straight through the woods and to Rachel's, and provided a scenic route on top of it all.

I thought about Emily, about having a set of twins and keeping it from Sam, and found my hand wander to my stomach. To be completely honest, I never thought about having kids before; it was always something that I just assumed would happen for me eventually, after I met the right guy and settled down. I enjoyed my job, the traveling, the negotiating, too much to give my domestic future much thought. But now that I had met Seth, met Rachel and Emily, the possibility of children was pressing on me, and now alone, I could think on them.

I saw myself carrying Seth's child, a young boy or baby girl, perfect and beautiful, inside and out, like him. And I lost my breath, choking on the overwhelming desire I suddenly felt for this imaginary child. I wanted, _needed_ it, like the sun, or air.

It took a few moments of controlled breathing to push the surprising feeling away, to gain my composure and to continue on to Rachel's. I tried focusing on something, anything, to distract me, and found it in my curiosity at leaving the house in the middle of the night. Something had provoked me, but I couldn't place my finger on what it had been, no matter how hard I dug for the answer. And I knew that I had the answer; it was just buried in my subconscious.

When I reached the creek, with a small, make-shift plank wood bridge making it possible to cross to the other side, I paused, looking towards the thickening forest, slowly remembering the hidden glade I had discovered and had left all too suddenly. Despite knowing what I did now, about Seth and the wolves, I needed to be sure that it wasn't all a fantasy; that I had been there, in the humid steam of the hot spring and the beautiful colors of the meadow flowers.

Instead of crossing the plank bridge, I followed the creek north, making my way through underbrush and vibrant foliage, slowly gaining my bearings. I recognized the gnarled trees, the thick bushes of brilliant verdant shrubs and delicate fall blossoms, spicing the air with distinct aromas I immediately categorized. Honeysuckle, lavender and buttercups. The slight musk of wild violets that melted into the stronger scents of natural spearmint, so strong and fresh in my nose that it burned a bit.

I recognized the two, intertwined trunks and smiled, ducking underneath and stepping into a glade that was at least ten degrees warmer than anywhere else. Its beauty was still unsurpassed, and I let out a delighted laugh, throwing my arms out and spinning in the relief at not being crazy. The glade was here! The mineral steam was here! The frothy waterfall, hot spring and jewel toned wildflowers were here! I wasn't crazy!

I lost my balance and my breath at the same time and collapsed to the plush softness of the wild meadow grass, a vibrant, fluffy dandelion tickling my nose as I turned my head to the side. The water was sparkling under the limited sunlight, lapping over smoothed pond stones and the silt banks leading up to lush grass. I spread my fingers in it, running into the stems of dandelions and violets, bright and pretty.

I wanted to spend more time here, but I needed to get moving if I was going to get to Rachel's in time. Besides, now that I was sure the meadow existed, I could always come back. So I took one last deep breath and sat up, intending to roll to my feet and be on my way, when my eye caught a sliver of light across the pond, to my right. I whipped my head around and froze, baffled by what I saw.

Sitting cross-legged on the opposite side of the hot spring, eyes trained on the water's reflection, was a woman; a very familiar woman, with two mismatched eyes and hair the color of white moonlight, which I'd first seen loose and waving, and was now tightly plaited into a thick braid over her right shoulder, the ends gently brushing the tops of the blades of grass. A green, shimmering ribbon had been plaited into the braid, a stark contrast to the white and silver highlights, and yet styled in perfect harmony with its peculiar strands. Her skin was still the pale, luminescent shade of a Mother of Pearl, but not the stone, marble white paleness of the Cullens, which at least told me she wasn't a vampire. But I still got that feeling of _Other_ when I saw her, and now knowing everything I did, I questioned what exactly she was.

"Sansai," I whispered, my voice barely reaching above the quiet roar of the waterfall. But she heard me, and her eyes, one the clear blue of the hot spring, the other a disconcerting metallic silver, looked up, a smug satisfaction hidden in their depths. They were still tilted up at the outer corners, making her gaze more searing, but I couldn't detect any malice in her. Not towards me, anyway.

"Lorelai," she replied, her voice the same melodic soprano that streamed over you like water. "I see you're sticking around your Native Wolves." The hint of her strange, misplaced accent dauntingly teased me, making me wonder at what it was and where it came from.

"I see you're wearing clothes," I shot back, a bit defensive and protective of the packs. She smirked, the kind of smirk that a dangerous predator wore when she knew she'd found her prey and that it was trying to escape, all the while knowing it never would.

The last time I'd seen Sansai, she'd been practically naked, covered in jewels and little else. Now, however, she was indeed, fully clothed. She wore a pair of bark colored, woven breeches, the kind I wore when riding my horses back home, with brown suede patches on the inside of the calves and knees. A billowing cloth tunic the color of pine needles covered her torso, the ends tucked in at the waist, revealing an intricately beaded belt, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and the strings hanging open at the throat to reveal the rough amethyst colored crystal still hanging from the thick silver rope around her neck. A pair of tan, calf skin boots laced up the front to her knees and were fitted around her feet, making silent movement through the forest possible.

Wrapped around her forearm was a leather arm guard, laced up nice and tight, and almost identical to the one my father kept in his home office, ready for use whenever he wanted to blow off some steam. Only one weapon in the world required a guard as specific as that, and my eyes darted to the thick, leather strap wrapped diagonally across her chest, over her left shoulder and under her right. I looked beside her and gulped; sure enough, a beautifully carved longbow rested in the grass, polished to a deadly shine, taut and well strung.

My father was a traditionalist, enjoying the feeling of exertion as he pulled back a bow and released a deadly, highly underestimated weapon. He'd taught me when I was young, and we used to spend time in the woods, targeting specific points of trees and occasionally bringing down a kill that we'd get butchered and have for dinner. Those were the days when he was still on the job, stuffed up in the office and making these hunts treasured. I had fond memories of shooting, and I missed it; I was known to have one of the best shots in the county. But at this moment, I was completely focused on the longbow, one of the largest I'd ever seen, larger even than my father's, and certainly too large for a woman of Sansai's stature; the potential of danger it held if wielded by her was massive.

I looked over her shoulder and found the tell-tale sign of a full quiver of brightly plumed, brilliantly decorated arrows, wondering what kind of bird created such vivid, mixed colors. Sansai watched me as I took in everything, her silence somehow carrying an approved undertone to it. She returned to fiddling in her lap, and I watched, finally registering that her long, elegant fingers were sharpening and polishing the poignant blade of knife. I swallowed, fear washing over my skin, my heart accelerating.

The blade of the knife was extraordinary in and of itself, wickedly curved and glinting menacingly, hinting silently at the sheer damage it could inflict with the ease of a well trained flick of the wrist. It wasn't like any ordinary weapon I'd seen, either in movies or in museums of ancient weaponry; it was the entire length of my forearm and made of some kind of metal I couldn't place, mainly because I was 100% sure it wasn't a metal to begin with. Actually, it looked like the blade had been crafted from diamond. But that was impossible; no diamond deposit could be large enough to fashion a weapon that long. And yet, if you looked at it from a certain angle, it completely disappeared into the light. Just the same, from another angle, I could see the intricate carving of knots along the blade, reflecting prisms on the water's reflection. I shivered.

The hilt of the knife was made of the same material as the longbow at Sansai's side, a polished, glimmering black that to me held the same consistency as onyx stone. I could understand it being used for the knife, being sturdy and strong, but the bow? A bow needed to remain pliable without being weak, and stone couldn't be manipulated like that. Not to mention how heavy it would be to use. So what wood mimicked stone?

The bow itself was magnificent, with severe, fluid arches and wings, imitating the natural curves of a bird in flight. The black was leafed in alternating designs of silver and gold, so pure in color that I wondered if the bow had ever been used or it had been created merely for show. The string was thick and waxed, but the most genuine snowy white color that merely confirmed my suspicions of it being a showpiece. It didn't make me any less uneasy, however, because I knew that that knife was _not_ for show.

"You caught me unawares, last time we met," Sansai said, her words calculated and precise to bring me back from the trance I had gone under after gazing at the elaborate weapons. "This is how I usually am found, if I'm found at all."

More riddles; she liked to speak in riddles, this bizarre woman.

"And what exactly are you dressed for?" I asked, surprised by the calm, even sound of my voice. It didn't shake or quiver in fear, unlike my trembling hands I kept buried in the grass. Sansai arched a pale silver eyebrow at me, her eyes taunting me to find the answer for myself. And I did know the answer; the minute I saw the bow I knew. The knife only confirmed what I'd already been thinking of Sansai since I first met her.

She was hunting.

Sansai removed her quiver from her back, laying it against a boulder and propping up the bow beside it with a kind of natural grace that only comes from years of handling a weapon of that design. She sheathed the dangerous knife back in an ornate scabbard, cinched to her beaded belt, before rising to her feet in one fluid motion. She seemed to always be in motion, even while in stillness, from the constant flickering of movement in her fingers, to the darting awareness of her eyes, even the light breeze from the waterfall blowing through her tightly braided hair.

I found myself on my feet without remembering how I got there, and for a few moments we just stood there, facing each other across the hot spring. I was feeling unnerved and more than a bit scared; but something kept me standing firm, a subconscious command to stand my ground. I could practically feel the hum of tension in the air, coating me like the humid mist in the glade.

"What are you?" I asked, knowing for certain that she was neither vampire nor werewolf, or Shapeshifter, and certainly not human.

For the first time since I'd known her, Sansai cracked a bright, if not wry smile, revealing two rows of straight white teeth that did nothing to relax me. She rolled her shoulders back, bouncing onto the balls of her feet to expel some energy.

"That is the first thing that you've said to me that doesn't make me doubt you," she said, looking far too pleased. She quirked her head to the side, watching me the whole time. "Perhaps you are ready to learn."

"I'm ready to stop speaking in riddles," I told her, resisting the urge to put my hands on my hips and tap my foot. "Besides, I'm late. If you decide to talk to me normally, let me know." I turned towards the two gnarled trees that formed a doorway of sorts and took two steps when her voice stopped me.

"You said that I wasn't from around here," she said, her voice liquid and building, as if she were about to tell me something that would thoroughly change my world. For all I knew, it probably could. "And you were right. But neither are you."

"No, I'm from New York and France," I said, rolling my eyes. "I _know_ where I'm from. And I don't see how that is important."

"Oh, but your heritage has everything to do with its importance!" she exclaimed, startling me and several birds from their perches in the canopy. "We come from the same stock!"

I stared at her, wondering if she wasn't maybe a bit insane. She sighed, waving an elegant hand as if dismissing a room of subjects from her presence. "I'm getting ahead of myself, and of course, we're not exactly the same. I'm _bean __sídhe_, and you're _banphrionsa_, but still."

I blinked owlishly at the bizarre words she spoke, trying to place the accent that so clearly took to them. "Excuse me?"

Sansai's eyes, one blue, one silver, found me, wide and unblinking. "You asked me what I am, and I assume that it is because of your new-found knowledge that some things exist in this world, which you previously thought impossible. Correct?"

I nodded, unable to make my mouth speak. She continued easily, talking to me as if soothing a frightened animal. "I am _Aos Sí_, known to humans as the Fair-Folk."

_Fair-folk? _I'd heard that before, distantly recalled that particular term. I watched Sansai hesitantly as she perched herself on the fallen trunk of an ancient oak, covered in moss, with the ease of a languid cat. The sun caught the strands of her silver, moonlight colored hair and she pushed several loosening pieces back behind her ears, a normal movement that anyone would do. I gasped.

Sansai's ears were elongated and curved in what could only be described as leaves, reminding me vaguely of _Lord of the Rings_ elves and _their_ ears. And suddenly, I realized that pushing her hair back had been a calculated move, used to make me understand. And understand I did.

"You're Fey," I whispered, shaking my head, suddenly wishing I could slap my forehead. I kept thinking back to that seminar Noelle and I had attended about ancient Irish and Scottish history and artifacts. It had interested me, especially the mythology. I never thought it would come back like this.

Sansai leapt off the trunk, her landing completely silent.

"Aye, as are you." She watched my disbelief cross my face and her slanted eyes narrowed into slits. "Don't try to deny it. You know it's true."

"No, I don't," I counter. "There's nothing to prove what you say is true. Maybe about you, but not about me."

A week ago, I would've called her crazy and ran for my life, dialing 911 as I ran to the safety of my dad and our plane tickets home. A week ago I didn't believe in the existence of vampires and werewolves. Needless to say, I'm a bit more open to what is supposed to be impossible. And to be completely honest, I thought I'd been handling this very well…up until Sansai said that I was Fey, like her.

Sansai smirked, and it wasn't kind. "So, your wolves _have _been keeping secrets from you. Interesting."

"What are you talking about?" I finally just threw my hands up in exasperation. She had stopped making sense completely, and I was definitely late for Rachel's.

"Ask your wolf," she snapped. She strode over to the boulder and strung her quiver around her back, picking up the bow with serious agitation. "You have questions, Lorelai, and I have answers. When you want them, you'll be able to find me. Until then, you might want to ask what exactly your Natives are keeping from you."

Her fingers tapped along the bow, keeping a steady rhythm. The tension I could feel had increased, to the point where I swear it was drowning out the sound of the waterfall emptying into the spring. She chose her next words with great care.

"We're an endangered species, Lorelai, hunted down for centuries; for our blood, our bodies, and our magic. We're dying out. It's a miracle I was able to find you, _banphrionsa_, when we were sure that you'd been lost forever, especially after your moth-" She paused, looking at me a bit sadly before shaking it off, returning to her agitated, if somewhat angry disposition. "I warn you, we won't be letting you go so easily."

She turned on her heel, leaping onto the very top of the shale cliff in a single jump, and swung herself up onto the ledge with one hand, the other still gripping the bow. From the top she looked down at me, her fluid voice melting into the water like rain.

"Ask your wolves if you're human if you need the reassurance. I'll be waiting. Oh, and Lorelai?"

I stopped, because I had turned my back on her and started walking again towards the trees once she'd brought up the packs again, the hot flickering of anger and fear coating my veins. I looked over my shoulder, seeing her still on top of the cliff, her bow now slung across the opposite side of her back, leaving both hands free. With her pointed ears free, she truly did look like something out of a fairytale.

"Yes?" I prompted, tempted to just leave without listening. However, with the knowledge of her weapons, I didn't think that that was such a great idea.

"Say hello to Vox for me."

**Okay, so thoughts and reviews please! It 'twould be much appreciated! Oh, and in case you're wondering, my dance coach is pregnant with her first baby, and her husband is totally over-protective...his ring tone for her cell phone really is the _Psycho_ movie theme song ;)**


	15. Guardian Duty

**I'll keep this short and sweet...I'm so sorry for doing the exact thing I hate for authors to do! But I promise you, it wasn't my decision! Between AP classes, AP tests and my graduation coming up, I could hardly find time to sleep. But here is chapter fifteen, with an interesting new character to speculate on...**

**Chapter Fifteen**

Sansai knew Vox. She _knew_ the Guardian of Avalon, a dragon. She knew him, and she knew that _I_ knew him.

These were the thoughts that kept racing through my mind as I sat in Rachel's Altima, watching the blur of the trees as we headed into Port Angeles. Melanie wasn't coming, she'd caught some sort of flu, and news had spread of the impending hurricane, leaving a very protective Paul flustered and agitated, almost delaying our voyage indefinitely. He'd insisted on coming with us, but after some needling by Rachel, who'd told him I was in need of some girl time, he'd backed off. However, if we didn't make it back by six, he would be coming up to get us.

After Sansai had disappeared into the forest, blending into the trees and the air as if she had completely evaporated, my dream all came rushing back. That thing that drove me to leave the house in the middle of the night was now fresh and terrifying in my mind. To be reminded that Avalon was real (and Sansai's presence only confirmed it) made me feel off balance, more so than when Seth had explained everything to me. I think it was because it was directly related to me; it was involving me personally.

I touched the base of my throat, my fingers splaying out across the smooth skin there, reminding myself that the necklace Vox had given me (because I was almost certain he _had_ given it to me) was no longer there. I remembered taking it off and placing it on the dresser after I'd woken up in the middle of the early morning, but I couldn't recall seeing it when I'd gotten dressed.

I'd wanted to head back to Seth's and double check, but I decided that it could wait; besides, from what I'd gathered from when I'd last talked to Rachel, she was in need of a shopping day as much as I was. So I'd raced to her and Paul's place through the forest, arriving out of breath and ten minutes late. Add an additional twenty minutes of bargaining with Paul, and that led to a speed racing Rachel, gunning for Port Angeles like her life depended on it.

We turned off the highway at the exit designated for Port Angeles and I watched as Rachel expertly maneuvered the streets of the harbor town, easily sliding into a parking space alongside a sidewalk in Downtown, shops and clothing boutiques glistening behind quaint displays. I smiled, forcefully pushing away thoughts of Sansai, Avalon, and Vox's necklace from my mind.

Rachel turned to me, a wide grin splitting her face. "Ready to shop?"

I felt my face mimic hers. "Definitely."

**(oOoOoOoOoOo)**

"I'll have the _fettucine al carbonara_," I said to the waitress, the words falling off of my tongue as naturally as French. She nodded, scribbling it down on her notepad before taking our menus and disappearing, assuring us that our _Bruschetta_ and _Pellegrino_ would arrive shortly. I sat back against the booth, taking in the quiet atmosphere of the little Italian restaurant Rachel had led me to, _Bella Italia_.

"The food here is amazing," she said, folding her napkin across her lap. "They have the best mushroom ravioli I've ever tasted."

I rolled my neck around, popping some joints and relieving the stiffness that had built up after the exhausting day. A waiter, with charming blue eyes and a boyish smile, brought out our appetizer and the bottle of sparkling water we'd ordered, pouring us each a glass with a wedge of lime. I smiled and thanked him, taking a small sip. It was heavenly.

"So, what do you do, Rachel? You mentioned going to school before you met Paul; what were you studying?"

It was a neutral talking point, and besides, I was curious.

"Business management and economics," she said automatically. "I work for a private banking firm in Seattle, but I work from an office in Forks."

"So, what do the guys do, apart from running patrol?" I asked, wondering if any of them had gone to college or worked normal jobs on the side.

"The young ones maintain jobs in restaurants and tourist stores, but once they graduate, it's almost all Pack, all the time. Charlie Swan, Bella's father, who's the Police Chief of Forks, convinced Sam that it might be a good idea to get a few of them to pursue a career as a Park Ranger; I mean, who knows the forest better than our guys, right?"

"Right," I agreed. "Bella's dad knows about the packs?" She laughed, as if recalling some fond memory.

"Not in so many words. Jacob pretty much shifted in front him, because the Cullens were talking about moving from Washington. At the time, since Bella had become a vampire, it would've been too conspicuous to remain; she didn't have a handle on her control, and the last thing she or the Cullens wanted was for Charlie to get caught in the cross-fire," Rachel said, taking a bite of a crisp tomato and basil covered piece of bread. "And Jacob, having imprinted on Nessie, didn't want them to go. Charlie knows about the wolves, and he knows that the Cullens aren't human, but he doesn't quite know the particulars. But he gets to spend time with his daughter and granddaughter, so he doesn't seem too miffed by it."

Thinking of the Cullens, and of their close proximity to Forks and the reservation led me to thinking about Seth's house; how it was separated from the others in La Push and the fact that I hadn't seen a house quite like it since arriving. It was a two story log cabin, not quite as rugged as one found in the mountains of Wyoming, but more modern and sleek, a perfect extension of the forest and the ocean, especially since the lumber used in the construction was made from the same sun-bleached wood found so often on the shoreline of First Beach. It was impressive and cozy, all at the same time.

"The Cullens supply the homes of Jacob's pack, all against their approval, mind you," she said with a wry smile. I looked at her in surprise, wondering if it was maybe Rachel who could read minds and not just Edward. "Carlisle had mentioned it a while back, and Jake immediately refused their generosity. But the Cullens are crafty, and Esme's been to several of the top architecture schools in the country, making her the ultimate contractor. One by one, they would mysteriously come into possession of homes that were absolutely tailored to them; Leah's house is on a lake in the woods, serene and secluded; Jacob's home is in a strategic location, equal distance between the reservation and the Cullens' home deep in the forest; Quil and Embry's border what used to be the line of the treaty, separating the Rez from the vampire territory, close enough for them to finish school and visit their families when they wanted. The original Pack, Jacob, Seth, Leah, Quil, and Embry, all received their homes within a few months after the treaty was renegotiated. I imagine that Gabriel's house will be built upon the day of graduation, probably a ranch with enough room for Simon and Andrew, since Jacob's insistent on them going to college."

She didn't sound bitter; in fact she sounded blissfully happy and satisfied with her lot, but it did make me wonder about the Cullens. I mean, my father and I were wealthy, but Rachel made it sound as if Carlisle had limitless funds.

"But why, exactly?" I asked her, joining her in taking a bite of toasted bread, olive oil and tomatoes. I was ravenous.

"Gratitude," she said simply, starting on a second piece. "Without Jacob's pack, they would've never survived during Bella's pregnancy, not with Sam bent on destroying her. His imprinting on Nessie saved them all, not to mention it reunited both packs' and guaranteed their support during the whole Volturi stand-off. The Cullens owed a lot to them, and they felt that their thanks had to amount to the help they'd received. Hence, the houses."

"That's really generous," I murmured, thinking. "What are they going to school for? Gabriel, Simon and Andrew?"

Rachel took a moment to think before answering. "Gabriel is going into law enforcement, and I believe that Simon and Andrew are taking Charlie's advice. Of course, Sam, with his fear of competing packs with Jacob, is pushing Zach, Collin, and Brady into going to college, especially since they're all smart enough to go for free."

I thought about my own career and how successful it had been. It was in part to my father's grooming, and in part to my own savvy and understanding of the occupation I was in. How would I view college, if I hadn't known what I wanted to do with my life from the time I was a little girl? I didn't have an answer.

Our food came, steaming hot with its aromas wafting up to my nose in a tantalizing dance of flavors. I quickly dug in, surprised at my ferocious appetite, and barely took a breath the entire time; I could just imagine my Grand-mama shuddering at my manners. It brought a smile to my face.

Rachel and I started talking about wedding plans; color schemes and themes, when and where, what kind of gown she'd prefer. I suggested a summer wedding on the cliffs, sweet and simple, with only close friends and family, already imagining it, there in the restaurant. I was a bit obsessed with weddings and wedding planning, it was sort of a hobby of mine.

Rachel was talking flowers when she stopped, mid-sentence, her gaze on something over my right shoulder, her eyes narrowing in surprise and concern. I moved to see what she was looking at, but she grabbed my hand, moving her head slightly to indicate I not move. I tried to relax my tensed muscles, to pretend like I wasn't totally weirded out, but I couldn't; I just maintained the same rigid position as I had before.

What was she looking at? An ex-boyfriend she didn't want to see? Somehow, I couldn't imagine Rachel shying away from anything, at least, not something as trivial as that. But the curiosity was slowly unraveling my composure.

It was then I felt it; a familiar sensation, one that I always associated with whenever I was at a public event. It was the tingling on the back of my neck, the warmth flooding my body that told me someone was looking at me. Not just looking, though, not a passing glance; someone was _watching_ me. And from the way the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, they were watching me closely.

"There's a man, over in the far booth," Rachel murmured, eyeing my face to watch for any sign of recognition. But there was no one I could think of that would make me nervous or apprehensive. "He's almost as tall as Seth, burly, blonde hair, covered in some serious ink…" she looked to me again. "Ring any bells?"

"No," I replied, feeling my skin crawl every second we sat there. I pulled out a fifty from my wallet, laying it on the table, more than plenty to cover both our meals and a generous tip. "Let's go."

Rachel nodded, removing her hand to get her purse. We slid out of the booth simultaneously, and I deliberately took my time turning around, masking my face into a relaxed, carefree expression, pushing the tension from my limbs to imply that I was cool, calm, and had absolutely no interest in the guy in the back booth.

Rachel casually linked her arm through mine and led us out of the restaurant, pausing to let a group party enter from the outside and giving me perfect opportunity to examine the man who'd been staring at me.

Rachel hadn't lied. Folded into the booth, he seemed to completely overwhelm it, his huge bulk reminding me vaguely of Emmet's brawn. He would be tall, just looking at his jean covered legs, as tall as Seth. He had a casually styled flop of brilliant blonde hair, looking like spun gold beneath the lights. He was wearing a black button down shirt, the first few buttons left undone, and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing bands of intricate, fierce tattoos in black, navy, and hunter green. He was incredibly handsome, the strong bone structure of his face both sharp and angular while being square and rugged. He wasn't pale, more like he had been once but now had a continual sun kissed glow that deepened his complexion considerably.

His wrists were decorated in thick bands of gold and silver, and I distantly thought it was an odd choice for such a masculine guy. Every finger had a different ring, varying in size, metal and stone. I saw a black onyx set in silver on his right middle finger, and a large blue topaz set in gold, glittering against the pale, crisscrossed scarring on his hands. He was wearing black motorcycle boots, scuffed at the toe and muddied, new, yet worn. His most memorable feature, however, were his eyes.

My eyes are my most distinguishing feature, on account of their dual colors; emerald green in rings around the pupil that melted into brilliant lapis lazuli blue. But I had never seen a color quite like this strange, imposing man; eyes like wild meadow violets, with flecks of silver and lavender. Truly purple eyes. And they were trained on me.

The entire observation I conducted lasted only a few seconds, long enough to stand aside and let the party enter and nothing more. But the minute I saw those eyes, drinking me in like a dehydrated man had found a lake in the middle of a desert, I felt a jolt of electricity, of incomprehensible recognition. As if I _did_ know him from somewhere.

Rachel tugged on my arm, pulling me through the doors and away from the bizarre encounter. The air was frigid and had a nasty, ominous bite to it; the sky had darkened into a vicious, bruising purple, and here and there, greenish-gold lightning struck across black thunderclouds. The winds whipped my hair around with an audible snap, and the sea breeze had a sickening, extra salty brine to it. That hurricane was coming in fast.

"Let's go," Rachel said, hurrying down the sidewalk. "It'll be here before six."

I nodded, silently following after her. We picked up speed, jogging down two more streets and several alley ways before coming to stop at her car. She unlocked the doors and we scrambled inside, desperate for some coverage from the bitter outdoors. I felt my phone vibrating and pulled it from my pocket; it was Seth.

"Hey," I answered, a bit breathless. Rachel was fiddling with her keys in the dark, as the streetlights around us had blacked out.

"Lorelai," Seth exhaled, his relief apparent. "Where are you? The storm is coming in sooner than we thought."

"I know, we're in the car now," I told him, watching with growing apprehension as Rachel tried, again and again, to start the ignition. It wasn't catching. "We seem to be having some car trouble."

I heard Seth consulting someone on the other end, and assumed it was Alice; my suspicions were confirmed when he said, "Get out and check under the hood. See if anything is up."

Reluctantly, I climbed out of the warm car, huddling against myself as I went around front and propped open the hood of the Altima. After a cursory glance, I saw a cable, snapped neatly into two. I groaned.

"What is it?" Seth asked immediately. I caught Rachel's eye and waved her out of the car. Waiting for her to get near enough to hear me, I answered.

"The battery cable has been cut," I said. Rachel double checked in a bewildered state, and Seth's deep voice was sharp in my ear.

"Cut? Are you sure it didn't just wear out?"

I snorted, rolling my eyes despite the fact he wasn't beside me to appreciate it. "Rachel's car isn't even a year old," I reminded him. "And it's been snapped, cleanly and in two pieces. This is deliberate."

"You're right," came a voice behind me. "It was."

Startled, I whipped around, ignoring Seth's frantic questions as he picked up on the smooth, slick tone. I half expected the massive, tatted man from the restaurant to be standing there, but was sickened to see four men, dressed in black, grinning lasciviously at Rachel and me. The one who spoke, a wiry man with dirty black hair falling into depthless black eyes, smiled in a way that set my toes curling, and not the way Seth did.

Rachel had a death grip on my left arm, but her face revealed nothing, not an ounce of fear or even recognition. I recognized a short, beefy man sizing her up, licking his lips and instantly earning my disgust. I focused on the self-appointed leader.

"Is that so?" I asked, pleased when my voice didn't come out breathless or shaky. He quirked his head to the side, that grin still planted on his face.

"You see, with a car that nice," he nodded towards the Altima, "and shopping bags filling the back seats, we knew that we couldn't go wrong. And we were right."

Back handed dealers. They lurked in the alleys of every city in every country, and this wasn't my first round at the rodeo, nor did I expect it to be my last. But most of them just wanted the money, taking it with sticky fingers and fleeing into the night. These men were much more dangerous. They didn't just prey on people who had money; they preyed on _women_ with money, and that meant that they liked to take more than the cash and credit cards.

I was smaller than Rachel by a couple of inches, but I pushed her slightly behind me despite the fact; I had the experience here and I was going to try to deal with this. Seth had gone quiet on the other line, but I could hear his breathing; he was listening to what was happening.

"Who're you talking to?" the man said, staring at my cell phone.

"My boyfriend," I answered, the words falling off my tongue like the most natural thing in the world. A victorious sneer crossed the man's face.

"Good," he said, taking a step towards us. The three flocking him began to fan out in a formation much like a pack of wolves honing in a kill. My eyes flitted from one to the other, but my attention was solely focused on the leader, taking point. "I want him to hear this."

I didn't have time to feel any more sickened; they were on us in a flash. I dropped the phone, striking out at a lanky boyish looking man with blonde hair, and felt my fist connect with his jaw. He howled in pain, dropping back as I went after him with more punches and a few kicks to his stomach and ribs. He went down, clutching his side, and leaving him vulnerable to a good kick to the groin, rendering him helpless for a few moments at least. I looked over my shoulder and saw Rachel in a headlock, struggling with the beefy man. I was on my way to help her when she threw her head back, knocking her skull against his nose and forehead, and then bit his forearm, forcing him to let go.

The leader jumped in then, along with a man who could've been Beef's brother, flattening Rachel out with a right hook to her jaw. Furiously, I jumped on him, wrapping my arm around his neck and squeezing, bending him backwards. A pair of steel vises snared my waist and threw me to the asphalt, cracking my head on the pavement. White hot pain exploded across my skull, blurring my vision into a haze. The only thing that kept me conscious was the freezing breeze blowing in from the hurricane.

The leader loomed over me, his face so red it was almost purple in his rage. "Leaver her!" he snapped to the only other guy who was still moving without difficulty. He had been standing over Rachel, unconscious and vulnerable. "We deal with this one first." I struggled to sit up, pushing up onto my elbows and gritting my teeth when the world spun in and out of focus. Ruthlessly I was shoved back down, meaty hands holding my arms down against my struggling. The man in front, the despicable, deplorable scum, stripped off the red scarf he was wearing, reaching for the belt that kept his khaki slacks up. I struggled harder, my vision coming back into clarity now that panic had set in.

"I hope your boyfriend is still on the phone," he said eagerly. "I wouldn't want him to miss this."

A tortured screech escaped my lips as I frantically pulled against the goon holding me down. Tears, of anger and desperation, streaked down my face, chapping against the frigid wind. I would not go out like this; I refused to let him do this.

A moment of absolute silence, and then, a wailing scream pierced the air like a banshee grieving. I had no idea that it was coming from my own throat.

The man standing was frozen in action, his vicious black eyes glazed over, a silver broadsword strung through his chest and dripping crimson. Slowly, the blade pulled out, back through his chest and spine, until he slumped over onto the street, his life seeping onto the road.

The one holding me down let go and sprinted down the sidewalk, grabbing the arm of his brother, who was coming to, and dragging him along. The man I had knocked down was still unconscious.

"Do you want me to kill them, _banphrionsa_?"

The voice was thick, deep, and undeniably clouded with the same bizarre accent I'd heard only once before. And I knew of only one person, _creature_, that had referred to me as ban-something. And suddenly, I placed the pieces together, staring up at the huge, violet-eyed man from the restaurant, his curved blade hanging deceptively by his side. The accent was Scottish, but not, a unique dialect of the Fey.

This man was Fey.

He sheathed the sword into a scabbard strapped to his back, not even bothering to wipe the blood from the blade, and came to kneel in front of me, a look of sincere concern on his face. With cautious pause, he raised a hand to my cheek, swiping away the tears with a jeweled thumb.

"_Banphrionsa_," he repeated, shaking me from my daze. "Do you want me to kill them?"

"You would do that?" I whispered, caught up in the intensity of those purple eyes. They glittered, like polished amethysts.

"You need but ask," he replied, the Scottish lilt strange, yet comforting to my frazzled nerves. I glanced back down at the frozen face of the man who had decided to prey on me, who had had the confidence of a monster who'd preyed on many before me. And despite the rage, the fear, and the panic I had felt at the hands of these men, I shook my head, refusing his terrifying offer.

He offered me his hand, and I saw the calluses roughening his palms from years of handling that sword. I slipped my own hand into his, staring at the sizable difference between the two, and clamped onto the pressure he exerted like an anchor to reality. He pulled me to my feet gently, holding me firm when my head swam in pain and I swayed, off balance. When I was able to refocus on him again, he straightened to his full height.

"Who are you?" I asked.

Immediately he snapped to attention, letting go of my hand to clench it into a fist over his heart, bowing towards me in a sign of respect that was old world and unprovoked. When he straightened again his eyes were clearer than before, with a glow of pride that was unmistakable.

"I am Cahir, _banphrionsa_," he said, his deep lilt washing over me in a warmth that melted the hurricane's chill from my skin. I felt something within me spark in recognition, as if a part of me that had been asleep all these years was awakening. A strange hum buzzed through my blood, causing the tips of my fingers and toes to numb in a tingling sensation. "Your _caomhnóir_."

"My what?" I asked, my voice gaining a bit of its usual cadence. The pain in my head was now a dull thud and no longer distracting or disorienting.

Cahir smiled, a small smile that seemed peculiar on his face, as if he didn't smile usually.

"Your _caomhnóir_," he repeated, taking care to pronounce the word. "It's Gaelic, for Guardian."

"My guardian? Why do I have a Fey guardian? Does this have anything to do with Sansai?"

He didn't outright deny the fact that he was Fey, and something made my stomach flip; I had been hoping that that had all been some figment of my overactive imagination and was terrified that it seemed to be as real as everything else.

"I see the _laoch sidhé _has been speaking with you," Cahir said, a touch of annoyance to his tone. At my confused expression, he clarified. "Sansai is a huntress, a warrior, a _laoch_. I am a guardian, _caomhnóir_, created for your protection."

"Why do I need protection?" I repeated, feeling a major case of _déjà vu _coming on. Cahir quirked his head to the side, peering down at me curiously.

"Because you are _banphrionsa_," he said simply. "Princess."

My eyes widened in shock, and I stumbled backwards. A scene replayed in my head from earlier today, in the woods with Sansai, speaking cryptically.

_"We're an endangered species, Lorelai, hunted down for centuries; for our blood, our bodies, and our magic. We're dying out. It's a miracle I was able to find you, __banphrionsa__, when we were sure that you'd been lost forever, especially after your moth-" She paused, looking at me a bit sadly before shaking it off, returning to her agitated, if somewhat angry disposition. "I warn you, we won't be letting you go so easily."_

Holy, shit.

**Please review! It's like food for the author's soul :)**


	16. Presence

**Okay, as promised, the next chapter! I know that some of you expressed some of your concern about where I was going with the reveal from the last chapter, but I promise you all, it has a purpose :) This chapter is full of Character POVs, including some familiar and some new. Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Seth POV**

My breathing was ragged and harsh to my own ears, and between myself and Paul, who was standing rigidly at my side, it was like walking into a building ready to blow. I held the phone in my hand, listening as the scum on the other end threatened Lorelai and Rachel, gnashing my teeth at the very real, impossible truth that I could do nothing. She was _mine_ to protect, and there was nothing I could do to save her from this situation.

_Ours_, Wolf reminded me sternly. I silently agreed with him.

Both Sam and Jake were in the house, watching us just in case they needed to intervene. At my request, Alice was on Jake's phone, trying her hardest to see _anything_.

When I heard Lorelai scream, my blood turned to ice and my vision blurred. The phone clattered to the floor, and I didn't even feel my fists shaking so violently that I was seconds away from phasing. I was seeing red everywhere. Without a backwards look, I bolted from the kitchen and into the yard, Wolf nearly bursting into form as soon as we were clear. He wanted to run, to hunt, to tear, to _kill_ the monster who'd harmed what was Ours. I was still in control, though not by much, so I settled instead for pacing the backyard, ears flat against my skull, lips curled back from razor sharp fangs, glistening in the greenish-black sky of a hurricane.

How had this happened? It was Port Angeles for Christ's sake! The girls went shopping there all the time; nothing was ever like this. I should've gone with her…this was my fault…how would she ever forgive me for abandoning her?

_We could bring her his head_, Wolf suggested, quite serious. In his eyes, Our mate would find comfort from the gesture.

_She's not a wolf,_ I told him. _She'd be even more disgusted with Us._ Wolf huffed out a breath, scenting the air, catching wisps of Lorelai's jasmine and pear perfume with an aching pang to my chest. With one massive paw I swiped at my nose, trying to focus instead on the sea salt, wind and air coming in from First Beach, desperately hoping that it would calm my frantic thoughts. No such luck.

Just when I was about to give in to Wolf's suggestion of tracking, the sweetest sound in the world gained my attention, and had me shifting back before I realized it.

"_Seth? Seth, are you there? Please, Seth, look I'm alright, we're both fine, but I think that Rachel's got a concussion…"_

Jake caught my eye and tossed me the phone; I didn't so much as flinch when Paul rebounded to my side, desperate for news about his imprint.

"Lorelai?" I demanded, yearning to hear her voice again. She let out a choked sob on the other end of the line, and my arms ached to hold her to me, to promise her that nothing would ever harm her like this again.

"Seth," she breathed, and Wolf was proud to hear her voice calm and steady, unwilling to reveal a weakness. "Seth, I'm fine. He, they, didn't touch us. I mean, they knocked us down," Paul and I let threatening growls roll from our throats at the same time, "But otherwise, they didn't get near us. Someone helped us."

The room was silent, and I saw Jacob whispering vehemently into his cell phone, presumably to Alice.

"Who helped you?" I asked quietly.

"His name's Cahir, he's a friend of a friend of mine," she said quickly. My hackles raised at her quick dismissal. She was hiding something…but what? Was this, Cahir, some ex-boyfriend of hers? My mood instantly went blacker, and Wolf's thoughts followed suit with ideas of more than one tracking. "Look, he's going to give us a ride to the Forks hospital, Rachel's still unconscious, and I'll explain to you what happened, okay?"

"Stay safe, Lorelai," I told her, ending the call and looking to Jacob, who had since hung up his own phone.

"Carlisle is working tonight, and Alice said she'd give him a heads up about expecting them," he said. When I continued to stare, I watched him inhale deeply. "She couldn't see anything, Seth. It was just like when Lorelai interfered, nothing but colors."

Wolf growled gently in my head, cursing the vampire. I tuned him out, knowing it wasn't Alice's fault. "And?"

I had known there was more to it. "They weren't the same colors," he said, glancing at Sam, who was trying to calm Paul, who'd never been known for his tranquility, down a notch. "From what Alice said, whenever it's Lorelai who interferes, the colors are a mixture of light blue, green, purple and gold. These were much darker, black, navy, evergreen."

"So what you're saying is…" I started, the gears in my head turning. Jacob nodded in the affirmative.

"Whoever this Cahir is, he's the same as her."

"_His name's Cahir, he's a friend of a friend of mine,"_.

I turned to Paul, who was anxiously waiting by the open back door.

"Track them down?" I asked. His black eyes were hard.

"Wolf escorts? Hell, yeah."

**Lorelai POV**

"I thought that the Fey couldn't touch cold iron?" I asked, huddled in the passenger seat of Cahir's Audi. He was illuminated in the darkness only by the blue glow of the instruments, blazing down the highway without any regard to the speed limit. Not that I minded; Rachel hadn't stirred once since we left, and I knew that she was okay only because she'd opened her eyes long enough to know that nothing had happened before passing out again. She was sprawled out in the back seat, a light blanket covering her.

Cahir's mouth twitched, and I got that distinct feeling that he never usually smiled or grinned. His face was sharp and harsh in the blue night glow, and he'd dropped some of the glamour (the magic Fey used to help disguise themselves) to reveal slightly pointed, elongated ears.

"We needed to give humans hope that they could defend against us, aye?" he said, his accent thick and altering his vocabulary a bit. "And at the time of the rumor, cold iron was difficult to find. It seemed good to use."

I kept silent, staring at his profile and then glancing behind him, to where his sword was still sheathed in its scabbard, slung across his broad back. His mouth twitched again at the corners.

"You like something you see, _banphrionsa_?" he asked, and I was shocked. I had thought Cahir cool and calculating, but…was he actually _flirting_ with me?

"Your tattoos," I lied, turning my attention to his arms, covered in ink. "What do they mean?"

"The markings of a _caomhnóir_," he said, as if reciting a monologue he'd memorized long ago. "We are born with them already printed; it is the sign that you have been chosen to protect those of great importance to our world. The black are most common, used to every _caomhnóir_, whether normal guard or personal Guardian. The green, are the second level, distinguishing those who are to be commanders of the armed forces and advisors to the kings and queens. And the blue are available only to those chosen for great purpose, that of defending the lives of a Fey with destiny. To have all three is to be the highest ranked _caomhnóir_, and to know that you will one day give up your life for the life of the one you've been created to protect."

I stared at him, wondering if he was pulling my leg, and yet staring at the intersecting lines of navy, hunter, and black. Some formed intricate Celtic knots, and yet others simply braided and weaved together in a pattern uniquely their own. They were strangely hypnotic and beautiful, and I caught myself wanting to trace them with my finger. I fisted my hands inside my jacket.

"You're the second person today to tell me I'm not human," I said carefully, watching the window instead of his face. "How do you know I am what you think?"

"We've been searching for you for years, _banphrionsa_, and the fact that the _laoch __sidhé_ merely stumbled upon you by surprise is a testament to the protection around you," he said, confusing me further. "I know who you are because I was created specifically to protect you; our magic is intertwined so that, now that I have found you, I will never lose sight of you again."

_And that is supposed to reassure me?_ I wondered, staring again at the broadsword strapped on him.

"I don't have magic," I argued, conjuring up the image of myself with a wand emitting red sparks.

"Yes, you do, _banphrionsa_," Cahir argued back. "You just haven't tapped into it yet."

"And why do you keep calling me that? I can assure you that I'm not a princess, especially not a fairy princess."

Cahir scoffed loudly, rolling his eyes in disdain. "Of that, I can assure _you_, that you are most certainly not a fairy. We are Fey, not the half pint, glittering creatures who flit from place to place aimlessly. _We_ have purpose."

"And what purpose is that?" I asked, fighting the urge to roll my own eyes at his pompous attitude.

"Mine is to protect you," Cahir said, firm in his resolve. "Yours is yet to be determined."

"Fantastic," I mumbled. "If I find out that one of the guys put you up to this…"

"Guys? What _guys_?" he asked suddenly, the fierce set of his features silencing my muttering.

"Seth, my boyfriend, and his friends," I said carefully, unwilling to elaborate. His facial expression deadened, his amethyst eyes hardening, and the harsh planes of his cheeks, nose and mouth revealed the inhuman side of a warrior.

"You have a boyfriend?" he asked, his voice emotionless and flat. I swallowed, suddenly terrified to be in an enclosed space with Cahir.

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes, I do," I said, trying for some false bravado.

"Actually, _banphrionsa_, every aspect of your life from this moment on is my business," he said, his tone dangerously smooth.

I realized then that the car had been in park for a few minutes at least, and that we were sitting outside of Forks Hospital. Moving with more speed and less grace than I had hoped for, I undid my seatbelt and stepped out of the car, desperately hoping that Dr. Cullen was working tonight. I hadn't figured out an explanation for Cahir's bizarre appearance with the sword yet.

I went to the back door to get Rachel, feeling the frigid wind from the hurricane on the back of my neck, and was halfway to opening it when a strong hand wrapped around my wrist, tugging it off with more than necessary force, whipping me around so that I was backed against the car. Cahir was standing in front of me in a defensive position, unsheathing his sword in a long, sweeping arc.

A terrifying and enraged growl ripped through the windblown air, and it was echoed by another; both were coming from the forest.

"Wait," I said, straining for the Fey Guardian to hear me. "Cahir, wait!"

Cahir took a step back towards me, balancing his grip loosely in a practiced ease, and the action incensed a large, sandy colored wolf, who was now hurtling out of the tree cover. A dark silver bullet came streaking towards the car, and I recognized both Seth and Paul in full defend-imprint mode.

I saw Cahir swinging his blade in looping circuits, and a black wash of fear forced me from my position at the car.

"NO!" I screamed, launching myself around Cahir, who stared at me with wide eyes, directly into the path of the galloping werewolf.

I'd never seen Seth as a wolf angry before, and he was more than angry; he was furious. I held my ground, searching his dark brown, chocolate eyes for some semblance of reasoning. I watched as he quickly came to, slamming down on his haunches to come to a skidding stop, not even six inches in front of me.

"Seth," I breathed, relieved when his cold, wet nose nuzzled my hair affectionately. I wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging into his warm, sandy-gold fur. He gave a contented sigh, dropping his massive head onto my shoulders.

A low growl echoed behind me, and I turned to see Paul, still in wolf form, standing in front of the door leading to Rachel, warning off Cahir with bared teeth and flattened ears. The Fey, for his part, still had his weapon out, but was solely focused on me, eyes wide with shock.

Seth's lips curled back from his dagger like teeth, eyes flashing malice. I tugged on his fur, forcing him to make eye contact with me.

"I told you I would tell you everything that happened," I reminded him. "This is Cahir. Not an enemy. He saved me and Rachel."

Seth looked back to Cahir with a curious quirk to his head; his ears were forward and he was no longer growling. Paul, however, was still glaring at the sword in the Fey's hand.

"I think it might be a good idea to put that away," I told him. "They won't hurt you."

Cahir seemed to fight against his basic nature for a moment before straightening to his full height, sliding his sword back into its sheath on his back, bowing his head towards me. "As you wish, _banphrionsa_."

I turned back to Seth, who was looking at me, a thousand questions in his eyes.

"Do you mind phasing back? Rachel is still out of it, and I'd rather talk to you as a person," I said. He gave me a wolfish grin, exchanged some kind of look with Paul, and then bounded for the tree cover, emerging a few moments later in his jean cutoffs and nothing else. His face was hard, a mask of fierceness that I wasn't used to seeing, but the corners of his eyes turned up, so I knew he wasn't mad at me.

He wrapped me in a bone crushing hug, burying his face into my hair and just taking the moment to breathe. His heat seared through me, warming me to the bone, and my arms stole around his waist of their own accord. When I pulled back to look up at him, his mouth captured mine, stealing my breath in a kiss that weakened my knees. It was a kiss from a desperate man, one who'd thought he'd nearly lost everything.

His hands framed my face, his thumbs brushing against my cheeks as he kissed my forehead, my nose, my eyes, and finally my lips once more, as if memorizing each feature. My hands traced aimless patterns over his skin, my attempts to soothe him, to let him know that I was here and whole and safe.

"You're fine?" he asked, his dark eyes sucking me into their depths. I nodded.

"I'm okay, but Rachel is still unconscious. She got knocked out pretty bad," I said, looking over to the car. Seth nodded, kissed me one last time, and then took me by the hand, striding over to the Audi.

"Paul, go on and phase; we'll wait for you here before heading inside," he said to the large, silver wolf. Paul glared once at Cahir, who hadn't moved a muscle, and then leapt over the Audi deftly, zipping behind a dumpster to change back.

Paul the Man wasn't too much of an improvement to Paul the Wolf, whose mood was just as black. He came around to the car, opened up the door, and removed Rachel with exceeding tenderness, cradling her in his arms, shielding her from the cold. He nodded once to Seth and me before hurrying into the hospital, not bothering to waste any more time.

Seth, now with his arm around my shoulders, and my own around his waist, turned towards Cahir, whose face was expressionless.

"You are Cahir, then?" Seth asked, a formal tone to his usual light cadence. Cahir didn't speak.

"I owe you my gratitude," Seth continued gravely. "For saving Lorelai and Rachel."

Still, nothing. I felt a frown turn down my mouth.

"Cahir, what's wrong?" I asked. His purple eyes flashed and locked onto me with an intensity I hadn't seen before.

"I answer only to you, _banphrionsa_, not to this mongrel," he answered, his voice harsh and cold. "His gratitude means nothing to me." I gasped, and beside me, Seth growled deep in his chest.

I took a step from Seth and towards Cahir, whose gaze followed my movements, until I stood halfway in between them both. Seething anger made my blood run hot through my veins, until I felt myself glaring at him.

"Cahir, meet Seth, Seth Clearwater," I enunciated very clearly. "My _boyfriend_." His eyes hardened but he didn't look away. I saw then, in harsh relief, the upward tilt of his eyes, the leaf shaped ears pointing straight through his curtain of brilliant blonde hair. "If you find his presence beneath you, that's your opinion." Suddenly, he shifted his weight, as if uneasy by the forced pleasantness and sweetness I spoke with. "However, so long as you keep that opinion, you are no longer welcome in _my_ presence. Until your opinion has changed you are," I paused, searching for a word that would befit my supposed regal station. "Dismissed."

Cahir straightened as if he'd been slapped, now focusing that glare of his onto Seth. With a curt nod, he turned on his heel, striding determinedly to the forest.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" I called, glancing toward the shining Audi, the keys still in the ignition.

He responded without looking back. "It's yours, _banprhionsa_…a gift from your people."

I didn't miss the subtle jab at Seth, but I refused to dwell on it. Still angry at what Cahir had said, I turned back to Seth, surprised to find him already next to me. He wrapped his arms around me, a slow smile spreading his features.

"At least two good things came from his 'presence'," he said, deliberately quoting me. I smiled, leaning into his touch.

"And what are they?" I asked.

"He saved you," he said solemnly, kissing the corner of my mouth softly. "And," he murmured against my skin. My eyes closed. "You got a really nice set of wheels that's going to make Jake drool."

I laughed, kissing his cheek and feeling grateful for his usual sense of humor. "I was wondering why he insisted on bringing all of our shopping bags with us," I said, knowing that all of Rachel and mine's purchases were stowed safely in the trunk. I wasn't a vain person, but I did get some satisfaction out of taking the car, if only so that Seth could ride in it with me. The nerve of that Fey!

"Come on, let's go check on Paul and Rachel," I said, lacing my fingers through his, dragging him along. "I am so going to owe her dinner after this."

**Cahir POV**

I watched through narrowed eyes as the mutt followed Her into the human hospital, my fingers itching to grasp the hilt of my sword and run it through him. Before the glass doors closed, the large Native stopped, turning his head in a calculated motion, finding me with his eyes even this far back in the woods.

We stared at one another for several moments, until She called for him, and like a lapdog, he followed. But he hadn't blinked…neither of us had won the dominance contest. I cursed under my breath, watching in satisfaction as the trees shivered in recognition of the Ancient Language. At least some things around here didn't forget.

The pendant I wore around my neck glowed warmly against the bare skin of my chest, alerting me to another's presence. I knew who it was without asking; the _laoch sidhé_, come to check up on the girl she'd discovered. I had half a mind to gut her, but knew it was useless; it wasn't her that I was angry with.

"_Súgah Téigh_," I greeted, listening as she maneuvered her way next to me. Her white blonde hair was plaited back from her face, and her bi-colored eyes watched me with unconcealed humor.

"There's nothing merry from this meeting, is there _caomhnóir_?" Sansai asked, standing beside me, her bow and quiver slung diagonally across her back. She turned her attention to the human hospital, oblivious to my rage.

"You failed to mention the association of the Shifters," I replied, refusing to speak in English. She sighed, slipping into our tongue with merely a roll of her eyes.

"The Natives are harmless to our ways," she said, with the confidence of one who'd observed them for long. "They fight along the same lines as us. They can be useful allies."

"She is dating one of them," I growled vehemently. She laughed, a light tinkling of sound.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were jealous, Cahir," she said, a dark light in her eyes. Sansai was like me, a warrior, trained to know someone's strengths and weaknesses at first sight. It wasn't something that you just forgot about, even amongst friends and allies.

When I didn't respond, she continued on. "The Princess isn't merely dating the wolf," she said, a smile curling her lips. "She is his imprint. You know as well as I that that is magic that cannot be touched."

I returned to watching the hospital, smoothing my face into a mask of nothingness. I refused to let her egg me on. "Besides, I'd be less concerned about the Natives, _caomhnóir_," she said, making my nerves spark as she deliberately switched back to her accented English. "It's the _deoch fola_ I'm worried about."

"Vampires?" I asked, startled out of my irritation. "In Washington?"

Sansai nodded. "The golden-eyes are to be trusted; they will defend her as one of their own. But the _s__úile fola_, the blood eyes, if they find out about her, they will come, with full forces. We don't need to rehash the tragedy that was _Banphrionsa Ethne_," Sansai said. I felt the blood drain from my face, and I shook my head. She nodded. "I suggest you quickly mend the fragile relationship and trust you just broke, because should anything happen to Her, it will be you who answers for it."

Sansai disappeared through the trees as silently as she had come, leaving me alone with my raging thoughts. She knew, better than anybody, what was and wasn't to be trusted. And if she said that the Shape shifters were our allies, than I needed to accept that.

She was right; Her life, Her destiny was in the balance here, and I had been created specifically to protect Her. With an iron resolve, I took one last look at the human hospital before turning on my heel and blending into the forest.

**What did you think? Any comments about our delightful new friend? (Please note the sarcasm) Review!**


	17. Princess Infante

**Hey guys! I know it's been a while, but I needed to hammer out some of the plot details for True Beauty before continuing. Now that I have, expect frequent updates!**

**Chapter Seventeen**

Rachel was going to be fine. Apart from a nasty concussion, and a few bumps and bruises, she hadn't sustained any permanent or lasting injuries. She was on bed rest until Carlisle cleared her, with an overprotective Paul by her side.

I climbed up on the sofa next to Seth, tucking myself into his side. It had been an exhausting night, and all I wanted to do was sleep. But Carlisle had checked me out after attending to Rachel, and wanted me to try and stay up until the morning, to gauge how severe my head injury was.

Seth wrapped a secure arm around me, his heat surrounding me like a blanket. I felt my eyes drifting closed.

"Lore? Come on, you need to stay up," he murmured softly, jostling me gently so that my eyes stayed open. I grumbled at him, scowling when he grinned. He shifted suddenly, his dark gaze hardening slightly. "Ready to tell me what happened?"

I _had_ promised to tell him everything. Taking a deep breath I sat up a little, wincing when my vision swam in and out of focus. When it had subsided, I looked to Seth.

"I met somebody in the forest," I said, trying to explain. Seth's eyes narrowed.

"The woman?" he guessed. "With the white hair?"

Surprised, I nodded. "Her name is Sansai. She's not, _human_."

Seth smiled crookedly, settling his arm around my waist. "I figured as much. I just couldn't figure out what she was, because she wasn't a vampire."

"She's Fey," I said, the word sounding strangely familiar on my tongue. "Fair Folk."

"As in don't lie, bargain dealing, can't touch iron, no emotions…_that_ Fey?" His voice was curious, and I knew that this discovery would be relayed down the chain of command.

"Yes, except they can touch iron," I replied, thinking back on my conversation with Cahir.

"And what does this have to do with Cahir?" Seth asked, nearly mimicking my thoughts. I settled down, bracing myself for retelling him all that I knew.

"Cahir is also Fey," I said, watching his face. "But he's not like Sansai; he told me that she is a warrior Fey, and that he is a Guardian, created to protect someone of 'destiny'." I air quoted the word. Seth continued to wait, listening intently. "They both said that I'm not human either, that I'm Fey."

I don't know what I'd been expecting, surprise certainly, maybe denial, even. But not this calm, inquisitive gaze, as if anything I'd said wouldn't have phased him in the slightest.

"But you already knew that, didn't you?" I asked, unable to keep the hurt and betrayal from my voice. What had Sansai said? _Ask your wolf_, she'd said. Was this what she'd meant? "You knew that I wasn't human, and you didn't even bother to let me know!"

I was off the sofa, anger simmering above the surface. I bumped into the coffee table and wobbled, smacking at Seth's arms when he tried to steady me. He wouldn't let go, pulling me up against him instead, forcing me to look up at him.

"Did I know that you weren't human?" he asked, his voice so soft that I went lax in his arms. "Yes. Did I know what you were? No. I, Jake, the Cullens, we've been trying to figure it out. I," he stumbled over his words, searching my eyes. "I wanted to have an answer for you before I dropped it on you."

"How did you know?" I asked, staring up into his warm brown eyes. "I didn't believe it when they told me. I'm not sure I do even now."

"Sam and Jake had to point it out to me," he said, his hands stroking up and down my arms, half trying to distract me and half trying to soothe me. "You don't have a scent. The packs, we each have our own individual scents, declaring our alliances, but there's a common one we all share that marks us as wolf. The Cullens are familiar, but all vampires have a stench that is sweet enough to burn. Humans have their own unique flavors. But you, Lore, you have no scent. You blend into nature completely."

He took a deep breath, plopping down onto the sofa, pulling me down with him. I resumed my position, curled into his side. "Except, not anymore, not for me." I looked at him, curiosity curbing my tongue. His lips pressed into my hair, breathing me in like a man who hadn't smelled the sea or rain before. When he spoke again, there was a growl behind the words, enough for me to hear the wolf behind the man. "Last night, when you went outside," he began, making my cheeks color in embarrassment. I still couldn't justify why I'd climbed out the window. And my God, had it only been a night ago? "When I woke up, and you weren't there, I panicked. I went into full imprint mode, trying to find you. And since you didn't have a scent, I was at a loss at how to best track you."

His brow furrowed, his dark eyes clouding in memory. "Jake had told me a while back that every bond is different, that every imprint will have different abilities to go along with it. And when I couldn't find you, I found one of ours."

He looked to me then, his fingers combing through my hair absentmindedly. "I saw a trail, no, it was more like a, an _aura_ of blue light and, for lack of a better word, glitter, and when I touched it, even though it physically wasn't here, I could feel your emotions. And I could finally smell your individual scent. It was like I was seeing a manifestation of your scent trail, and I believe it has everything to do with you being something different. Being Fey lines up with that discovery."

"Can you still smell me?" I asked, smiling a bit at the weirdness of the question. He nodded, inhaling deeply as if to reiterate the fact.

"It's like seeing that trail unlocked something in our bond. I can smell you, but no one else can, wolf, vampire, or otherwise. It also explains some other things."

I sat up a bit, my exhaustion forgotten. "Like what?"

The corner of his mouth quirked up and I squashed the temptation to kiss him.

"Like how you could outrun a wolf when you put your mind to it," he said, reminding me of that episode in the forest. "Or how when you're in nature, you make no sound. I can pick up even the stealthiest vamp, and we move very quietly too, but you are absolutely silent. You can step on a pile of brittle leaves and not make a sound."

"That makes no sense," I said, shaking my head. He huffed out a laugh, tipping his head back to stare at the ceiling.

"Doesn't it? If I recall my mythology lessons, the Fey were known for their influence in nature. If you are Fey, it would make sense that you have no scent and make no sound; you are a part of the environment."

I pulled on my bottom lip, thinking. I'd always been comfortable outside, from the time I was a mere child. No, I _craved_ nature, feeling trapped whenever I was in the urban city. And for the longest time, I'd also been something of an animal do-gooder, bringing in wild birds and fauna, as well as injured strays. Cats and dogs stalked me in foreign cities where they were abundant, and I'd never met a horse I couldn't sit.

And then there was the sense…the sense that nobody but my father knew about, that had made me into the archeological prodigy I was today. That uncanny sense that had led me in open sands and deeply forgotten mists and jungles to discoveries that were awe-inspiring. Half the finds that were credited to Emilio Savione were in fact mine; but he and I had both agreed that admitting aloud that a ten year old had disobeyed the lead archeologist's orders and had found the ancient Mayan temple they'd been searching for months would cause too much of a frenzy.

I inhaled sharply, pulling away from Seth's warmth so that I could sit on my own. He distracted me too much to do any proper thinking. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, my hands clasped together that my father would recognize as my Extreme 'Veronica Mars' position.

"But, my father…" I trailed off, unsure of what it was I wanted, _needed_, to say.

"Is completely, totally, one hundred percent human," Seth finished, with a confidence that told me this was nothing but fact. "Lore, what can you tell me about your mom?"

"Enough to tell you I never got the chance to call her mom," I said, my voice uncharacteristically bitter. I took another breath, pinching the bridge of my nose in an effort to study myself.

"My parents met on a dig," I said. "They married after a month. A few weeks after my first birthday, I was in France with my father, visiting my grandparents. My mother was in Prague, and she was killed in a car accident."

"I'm sorry," Seth whispered, his voice holding a soft caress. I sighed.

"Her mom died of cancer when she was fifteen, and she never knew her father. She was completely self-sufficient by the time my grandmother passed."

"You told me that you're French and Egyptian," Seth said gently. My brow furrowed slightly.

"I am," I confirmed with a nod. "On my dad's side."

"And your mother? What was she?"

I looked over my shoulder, suspicious of his earnest expression. "Scottish. But I never mentioned it because…"

I stopped, suddenly surprised. As my mind worked over the files in my head, I realized that I didn't have a reason for not mentioning my mother's heritage. From the time I could speak, I'd only told people I was French and Egyptian, despite the fact that I knew my mother was one hundred percent Scot. One look at her thick, auburn hair, emerald green eyes, and cream and honey complexion could vouch for it. Yet I never held a desire to tell anyone.

My eyes widened, locking onto Seth, whose own thoughtful expression was captivating to watch.

"You never mentioned it, because something kept you from mentioning it," he said intensely. "And I can guarantee that it's to keep your Fey identity a secret."

"You would be correct in the assumption, wolf."

I gasped, snapping up from my seat on the sofa. Seth was on his feet, towering above me, and the tension in his shoulders all the more terrifying since his fists didn't shake. A low, threatening growl rumbled from his throat.

Cahir stood in front of the front door, still dressed in head to toe black, still armed with his blades. But his expression was resigned, if not meek, and his hands were raised, palms forward, offering a complete surrendering pose. It didn't stop Seth from growling though.

I slowly gained my feet, keeping half my attention on the rage-prone werewolf, and half of it on a strangely submissive Guardian Fey, one who I wasn't sure I was ready to stop raging at myself. His words still boiled my blood.

"Cahir, what exactly does that mean?" I asked, looking at him from around the mountainous shape of my boyfriend. Who, by the way, hadn't moved even a quarter of an inch. I was unsure of whether this was a positive, or a negative sign.

Cahir's violet eyes found mine, and I was surprised to see the remorse shining in them. I could read people extremely well, by observing body language and expressions.

"It's part of the protection you were naturally born with, to help conceal your true identity and protect you in the mortal world."

"Why are you here?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. He winced, as if I'd physically slapped him.

"To beg your forgiveness, _banphrionsa_," he said, his brogue more pronounced than before. "And to fulfill my services in any way that I can."

I covered my ears, Seth's sudden roar of rage taking me by surprise. Cahir didn't so much as flinch, and I knew that if I didn't calm Seth down soon, he would do something he'd regret later.

I stepped up behind him, pressing every line of my body against the back of his, wrapping my arms around his hard waist and squeezing, my lips pressing into his hot skin. I could feel the tension in his muscles as if they were a second skin, and I desperately willed it away.

"Seth," I murmured, hardly making a sound. I knew he could hear. "Please. Don't do this."

And just like that, as if my voice were the only thing to calm a trigger finger, he relaxed, the growling ceasing with a long sigh. He half turned, wrapping a long arm around me, stooping to press a kiss to my forehead tenderly. I pulled him down to the couch, motioning for Cahir to take the seat across from us on one of the cushioned arm chairs. He folded himself into it with an ethereal grace, not unlike a vampire but a bit less stiff.

Seth kept me close to him, an anchor to his calm, although his brown gaze never left Cahir. I kept one hand over the one he held around my waist, my other on his knee, my entire side pressed against him. I let his warmth flood around me.

"What can you tell me about my mother?" I asked, since that was the most glaring question. Cahir's eyes deepened in color, becoming a more purple shade of indigo.

"First, I must explain to you the complexities of our world," he said, each word spoken with great care. "You know of Queen Mab, King Oberon, and Queen Titania?"

I nodded, the stories flitting through my mind like leaflets of knowledge. "King Oberon and Queen Titania rule the Fey of Summer, the Seelie Court. Queen Mab rules the Fey of Winter, the Unseelie."

"Back in archaic times, yes, that was how the courts were split. By the time of Arthur, the courts had manifested into one single Fey Court, centered in Avalon. Each Fey lived in the realm where their magic manifested most absolutely," Cahir spoke gently, as if recalling a faded memory or a well-versed lesson. I clearly saw the Realm of Summer in my mind, with Vox as its guardian. I kept silent, urging him to continue.

"By then there was only a single ruling monarchy, with the Unseelie and Seelie joining in the union between Mab's son and Oberon and Titania's daughter. It was quite the scandal for its time, but it served its purpose. From then on, the monarch ruled with his or her Consort, even when Avalon was abandoned and the royal court relocated in the mortal world."

He took a deep breath, his shoulders rolling back. "There are classes of Fey, like in any society. The Serfs, who are born to serve and take great insult if you offer your help; the Gardeners, who cultivate the plants that are used in potions and spells; the Sorcerers, who serve as everything from scientists to doctors to culinary artists; the Teachers, who devote their life to knowledge and its spread; the Warriors, whose life it is to hunt, defend, and kill; the Guardians, like myself, who are born to serve one Fey of great import; the Nobility, whose power is generated through nature itself; and the Royal family. Our current monarch is King Cailean Torcail Eoin of the Blessed. His wife, and Consort, was Queen Siobhan Fionnuala, may her soul rest eternally. Their heir apparent is the Crown Princess Eibhlin Brighid Ethne, who was supposed to take the crown two decades ago. Instead she vanished, throwing the court into an uproar."

I paused, thinking on what he was saying. It made absolutely no sense, especially when both Cahir and Sansai had called me _banphrionsa_, princess. Unless…

"My mother's name was Enya," I said quietly.

"An Anglicized version of her third," he said.

"You're saying that my mother, was not only a Fey," I said, enunciating every word clearly. "But the heir to the Fey throne?"

He nodded. My hand clenched on Seth's knee subtly.

"She fled the court after her mother's death, escaping into the mortal realm. Had she been any other Fey, the guardians could've tracked her, following her seasonal magic. But, being a royal, her magic pertained to all aspects of nature in every season, making her nearly invisible. She'd always had a stronger proclivity for Summer magic, so they focused on warmer climates. The tropics, the Mediterranean,"

"The deserts of Morocco," I finished. Cahir nodded.

"By the time I'd joined the Guardians, they had found her and her human Consort, as well as the infant Princess. The King was overjoyed at having found his daughter, and so allowed her to remain with the humans, raising her daughter. On record, you are the Infante Princess Aoibhin Caoimhe Saiorse. But, after what happened to your mother, you and your father disappeared off of our radar. We couldn't track you, we couldn't find you through spells, and even my connection with you as your Guardian was rendered useless. Now, I know why."

"Well I'm glad that someone does," Seth said, speaking for the first time. A small smile cracked my cheeks.

"Your mother was a gifted Fey, and when you were born she cast a spell on you and your father, should anything happen to her. It's what prevented us from finding you all this time. It's also what has kept you from mentioning your Scottish heritage."

I closed my eyes, tracing the foreign name he'd placed on me in my mind. He'd pronounced it in that Scottish brogue of his. Princess _A-veen Kee-va Sear-sha_. And though it was as foreign to me as Lorelai Cosette Savione was familiar, when I pronounced it silently, my blood hummed, sloughing in my veins like the rapids of Colorado. It held power, the kind of power that could make me run as fast as a wolf and blend into nature seamlessly.

"You are the direct heir to the throne, should your mother cease to exist."

My eyes snapped open, and I felt Seth stiffen in confusion. I could feel his eyes on me, questioning, but my gaze was only for Cahir.

"My mother is already dead," I said, my voice a quiet imitation of its former confidence. "She was killed in a car accident in Prague."

Cahir was silent, and although he never broke eye contact with me, I could feel that he wanted to.

"Why would Lorelai's mother put a spell on her and her father to keep them safe?" Seth asked, and I was grateful that he would ask the questions I had not thought of already. "She expected danger, despite the fact that the Fey had already found her. So if she was no longer hiding from them, who was she hiding from?"

Sansai's earlier words floated back to me, with sudden clarity of meaning.

_"We're an endangered species, Lorelai, hunted down for centuries; for our blood, our bodies, and our magic. We're dying out. It's a miracle I was able to find you, __banphrionsa__, when we were sure that you'd been lost forever, especially after your moth-"_

"Who is hunting the Fey, Cahir?" I asked, staring him in the eye. "Who is hunting them for their magic?"

He didn't move, didn't even acknowledge that there was anyone in the room but myself and him. And for what it's worth, that's how it felt.

At last, his breath came out in a weary sigh, the sigh of a man who has seen war and blood and terror and vileness.

"The only ones who know how to use it," he said. "Vampires."

I inhaled sharply at his bluntness, although I appreciated it all the same.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, thinking of Bella and Edward with a small shudder.

"Since the Fey integrated into the mortal realm, we began to notice that every couple of decades, a few of our rank would disappear. About four centuries ago, we discovered that vampires were responsible. They were drawn to our blood, and once consumed, our magic was transferred to them. It makes them stronger, faster, and enhances any other skills they may possess."

"Like a natural steroid," Seth said. Cahir nodded.

"The last few decades have seen an increase in disappearances, so much so that most Fey no longer stray very far from the protection of the Court. The Fey naturally have incredibly long lives, the number of years of an average lifespan increasing based on rank. King Cailean is coming up on his 500th year."

"Excuse me?" I blinked. Cahir smiled grimly.

"In our ancient times, it wasn't unheard of for nobility to reach 1,000. Oberon, Mab and Titania were nigh on 10,000 when they died. The running theory is that time in the mortal realm has stunted our aging. Nevertheless, the _s__úile fola_ have discovered that the higher the Fey they feed on, the more potent the effects. It's now imperative to keep the nobility and royal family safe from harm."

"What does this have to do with my mother's death?" I asked, looking up at Seth, whose expression had slowly become more and more clouded.

"Your mother wasn't killed in a car accident, _banphrionsa_," Cahir whispered delicately. I felt a vise tightened around my heart, pounding behind the bones of my ribcage. "For that matter, your mother isn't dead. She was taken captive by vampires, held all this time for her blood."

"Where's your proof?" I demanded, my voice harsh even over the roaring in my ears. Cahir ducked his eyes, fiddling with the rings on his fingers.

"Every Guardian is tied to their charge," he said. "Should we not die in battle, defending that charge, our life is directly tied to that charge. Should they die, so do we."

"All of them?" I whispered, feeling my fingers go numb from squeezing Seth so tight. Cahir shook his head.

"Although at Court you would have a legion of Warriors for your defense, you only have a single Guardian, _caomhnóir_ , to be replaced if something happens to them. We know that your mother is not dead because her _caomhnóir_ , Lachlan, is still living, although all this time he has been searching for her."

I swallowed the bile that had been threatening to climb my throat, surprised at the red hot fury burning through my blood.

"And where was Lachlan when my mother was…taken?" I could hardly ask the question, still processing the fact that my mother was not dead, as I'd believed, but taken by vampires, tortured all this time for her blood.

Cahir's purple eyes shimmered, pity undisguised in his gaze.

"With you and your father, on her orders."

I inhaled through my nose, unable to keep still any longer. Slipping out of Seth's comforting grasp I surged to my feet, heading for the stairs. I needed to be alone. I needed to process, to _think_. Seth and Cahir mimicked me, and I held up a warning hand, stilling their identical actions.

"I'm going upstairs to lay down for a while."

My tone was unrecognizable, hollow and brittle. I couldn't take the worry in Seth's brown eyes, and so I hurried up the stairs, closing the door to his bedroom with a soft click, turning the lock with a moment's hesitation. My toes had gone numb, and my entire body was trembling violently, the pressure in my skull an indication of a migraine building. I turned off all of the lights, feeling the day's events catch up with me at long last. A concussion was the last thing on my mind of problems as I climbed into bed and forced myself to sleep.

**(oOoOoOoOo)**

I knew that I was back in Avalon when, instead of blissful nothingness, my eyes opened to blinding sunshine, the warmth chasing away even the dampest chill. I pushed myself up on my elbows, noting the bangles on my wrists and ankles, and the light aqua chiffon draped on my person like a Greek goddess. I was beside the glassy lake once more, resting on the grassy hill that felt like silk beneath my fingertips. I could smell apples on the air.

"Vox? Are you there?"

"I am," came the rumbling voice. "Why don't you join me?"

I rolled to my feet, slowly climbing the hill to where Vox, still as huge and magnificent as ever, lay in wait, in the same relaxed position that I'd left him in. Though I couldn't see a smile, I could feel its presence.

"I've been calling for you," he told me, a glimmer in his golden orbs. "It would've become clearer had you been wearing the necklace I gave you."

My hand immediately went to my neck, the diamond teardrop bauble flashing through my mind. I could feel Vox's laughter, but I was feeling anything but cheerful. I folded to the ground, staring at the clearest blue sky I'd ever seen.

"Is it true?" I asked, my voice a hushed whisper.

"It's why I called you back here, Lorelai," Vox said gently. "When you first arrived, your human half concealed your heritage. But every day, it has lessened, your Fey side growing stronger, more prominent. When I realized what you were, _who_ you were, I called for you."

My eyes wandered back to the ground, and my throat was on the verge of giving out to a sobfest.

"Why?" I asked, plucking a gentle violet from the ground and palming it. "Why now, after all this time?"

"Circumstances," Vox said gently. "You are in a place filled with and surrounded by magic. Naturally, it would bring yours out as well. That, and I sense your 21st year is approaching, the general coming of age year for the Fey. Though they begin training when their magic begins to manifest, around five or six."

"So," I said, my voice shaking from the effort of keeping back the tears. "What now?"

Vox sighed, bathing me in a scent of apples and blossoms that was more than comforting. A gentle breeze picked up the waves of my hair, blowing them back from my shoulders.

"Your Fey side is starting to come out, making you stronger and vulnerable at the same time. You need to begin training, harnessing and honing your gifts."

"You'll train me?" I asked, finally looking up into his golden gaze. He chuckled, and I could've sworn I glimpse a flash of white from a dragon grin.

"In some ways, yes," he said, with a nod of his great head. "Avalon has been abandoned for many years, but it is also the best place to learn magic, in my own humble opinion. In years past, it was one of the many duties for the Guardians to train nobility in their realms, as well as the Royal family, who can access magic from every realm. Traditionally, you would've been sent to me, as well as the other three Guardians, to learn the secrets of Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring. In this, I will train you."

"I sense a 'but' coming on," I groaned, ignoring the excitement buzzing in my head. It was then I realized my migraine was gone, as well as the other bruises I'd gained from the night's events. Interesting.

"But," Vox allowed, forcing a smile from me. "You will need your _caomhnóir_ and _laoch_ to complete the rest. I can teach you the essentials of magic, how to tap into your Glamour and use it, how to naturally identify flora and fauna and how their magical properties can be used. But they can teach you the other abilities that Fey can wield, including how to fight and protect yourself."

"Vox, do you know?" I breathed, steadying my hands. "Is my mom?"

"Lorelai," Vox said, sympathy shining.

"Is she still alive?" I forced out, steel resolve making my voice sound gritty.

"Yes," he said. "But barely."

I bounded to my feet, fury quaking my limbs, fists at my side. It was pure, undiluted rage at the creature that had taken my mother, had robbed me of a mom and my Dad of happiness that even I couldn't fill and replace. I was surprised when the gentle breeze that been caressing my hair whipped about me violently, a funnel with me at its center. I stared at it in wonder, watching every twig, leaf and branch that got sucked into it with a curious sort of fascination. Slowly, the funnel collapsed, leaving me standing, and out of breath.

"That was your magic manifesting with your emotions," Vox said. "Dangerous, but effective. It is that sort of magic that I will be training you to control. Your _caomhnóir_ will teach you the basics of defense, and of accessing your Glamour for the use of astral projection and such."

"Do you know who has my mom?" I asked, swaying on my feet, feeling more emotionally drained than I had before. Vox shook his head, dipping his snout to the ground.

"No, but myself and the other Guardians have been trying to track her since I discovered who you were." He paused, his leathery wings shifting along his back. "I knew your mother…we all did. Though Avalon has been left behind, what most Fey don't realize is that the Royal family still sends their younglings to us to be trained classically. You may not look exactly alike, but the similarities, once seen, are hard to ignore. The King," he growled, and I was surprised by the harsh and angered expression on Vox's face, "thought it unnecessary to alert us to the existence of neither an Infante Princess, nor the fact that Princess Eibhlin was still alive. Five hundred years in the human realm has dulled Cailean's senses, and memory. If anyone could've found her immediately, it could have been us. We're trying to pool all we can into locating her. All we know is that whoever has her is powerful."

I nodded, feeling leaden as I collapsed to the ground.

"We start training tomorrow."

**Let me know what you think! Please, please, review!**

**Gaelic Name Pronunciation**

**Cailean: **Ka-lun

**Torcail: **Tor-kwil

**Eoin: **O-wen

**Siobhan: **Shiv-on

**Fionnuala:** Fi-noo-la

**Eibhlin:** Ev-lin

**Brighid: **Brig-eed

**Ethne:** En-ya

**Aoibhin: **A-veen

**Caoimhe: **Kee-va

**Saiorse: **Sear-sha


	18. Bootcamp

**Hey everyone! I am so sorry for not updating like I promised I would. I had no idea that my first semester of college would be so consuming! I can, however, tell you that there's only a few more chapters of True Beauty left...which means that these next installments are going to be fast past, action packed and filled with angst and emotional roller coasters!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter Eighteen**

Looking back, I wish I had taken more time in enjoying life, in embracing the fresh air and the smiles of friends. However, maybe if I had known what was to come, I would've holed myself up in Seth's bedroom, refusing to leave. I wouldn't have had the strength to do what needed to be done.

I could still remember the expression on Cahir and Seth's faces when I'd come down the stairs later that evening, feeling a new source of vitality running through my veins and making my mind turn into a calculating instrument.

"_I'm going to find her," I said, without any preamble. They both stared at me as if I'd sprouted wings and antlers. "My mother. I'm going to find her. And you are going to help me."_

_I purposefully left the definition of the 'you' out of the equation; truth be told, I needed both Seth and Cahir, especially if what Vox had said was true._

"_As you wish, _banphrionsa_," Cahir said gravely, an odd twinkle in his violet eyes._

_Seth, in his own grim way, nodded, wrapping an arm around me and kissing my cheek. I think he could sense the anger in me, and that arguing was out of the question. And for that, I was grateful._

That was almost two weeks ago, and since then, I'd felt more like a female version of Rocky than ever before. My daily routine had become a sort of entertainment outlet for everyone around Seth and me, with the packs, and even the Cullens helping out.

It went something like this.

I woke up at the crack of dawn, changing into a pair of yoga pants and tank top, tying my sneakers with a flourish. Then I went running, with Seth joining me as a running buddy. Up and down the coast, through the natural obstacles of the forest, even along the road to Forks one time. We'd run until my calves burned and my lungs were set to bursting…and then we ran an extra mile for good measure.

Then came what I call Werewolf Boot-Camp, a course of kick-ass exercises that challenged every muscle in my body to the point of complete exhaustion. Every day, two or three of the wolves would be there, setting me to climbing trees and ropes, doing weights and crunches and sit-ups, and then basic hand to hand combat training, with an emphasis on kick boxing, which I'd taken up a few years ago.

Next came breakfast, which I quickly realized was among the most important meals for the packs. We usually all filed into Sue's house, since Emily was restricted firmly to bed rest in her advanced condition, and I soon found my appetite matched even Seth and Paul's, a frightening concept to be sure.

Then it was Pilates and balance training, which came in handy during fighting, or so Cahir informed me. I wasn't about to argue with him, so I soon added Tai Chi and yoga to the list. I found it relaxing and a balm to my nerves I hadn't known I'd needed.

It was after a light lunch that things took a turn for the weird. This was where the one on one Fey training came to play, with Cahir teaching me what Glamour was (the particular magic accessed only by the Fey, provided for by nature, and unique to each individual), how it was used (both offensively and defensively; I could use it to attack an assailant or to conceal me from the world), and how to access it. The last was the most difficult, but I found that after my mind was clear, I could literally feel the magic around me, stronger when I was outside, like droplets of water on my skin. Droplets I quickly learned to fling, much to the surprise of several of the wolves, when they acted as my test dummies.

It was also where the Cullens became involved, specifically Edward, Bella, and Renesmee, all of whom possessed unique gifts that I used to test my own limits. I soon discovered, much to everyone's fascination, that when I pulled on my Glamour, likening the feel to pulling on a well-worn sweater, I could see the mental shield that Bella used, as well as the color of emotions that Jasper, who came by from time to time, influenced. I could also see the moments before a wolf phased, a red haze glowing around them like I was wearing rose colored glasses.

The hardest thing, I was quickly learning, was the use of my Glamour for astral projection, the standard form of communication amongst the Fey who were separated by long distances. It was like a projection of your essence to communicate a message; the first time Cahir did it to me, I nearly screamed. It looked like him, not like a ghost or spirit that was transparent, but possessing a smoothness to the projection as if he'd been airbrushed. The real Cahir was downstairs, but the projection looked like flesh and blood, and spoke the exact same. It was the one aspect I'd been having a serious issue grasping, and despite Cahir's patience, I was frustrated.

After Fey Glamour 101, came Fey Combat Training, provided by Sansai and her Wonderful Array of Weaponry. She trained me in everything from traditional bow and arrow target shooting (of which, she was grudgingly pleased to note, I had adept proficiency in), to whips made of some sort of Fey metal sharp enough to split a healthy spruce in half, and throwing stilettos that were silent and deadly. Seth had nearly had a cow when she handed me twin Sai swords, putting up a fuss until she told him it would help increase my safety.

Dinner was usually a relaxed, if not rowdy affair, around a bonfire on the beach, roasting clams, shrimp, crab, hot dogs, chicken breasts and steaks. Before bed Seth and I would go for another run, this one more subdued and frequented with impromptu make out sessions along the way. I was supposed to be in hardcore training, but I couldn't help myself. I was also extremely pleased that it seemed to be the same for him.

My training didn't end with Seth and I asleep in bed though; once my eyes shut, I sought out the thin thread of golden light I soon associated with my portal to Avalon, and to Vox. And despite the intense physical and mental training I put myself through during the day, nothing exhausted me more than the Elemental magic that Vox had me practicing; and he had been right about one thing. It was far easier to access the magic when my emotions were out of control. Unfortunately, it also became nearly impossible to control it, and to end it effectively.

It was during these training sessions that I became more acquainted with the world of Avalon, and the few who still inhabited it. After Vox had seen to the basics of what he referred to as 'summer Glamour', he had it arranged that I would also train with the three other Guardians and have a brief overview of classic, elemental training.

"When things are more leisurely," Vox assured me one session, "you will return to truly complete your training. For now, mastering the basics will be your goal."

First was a trip to the eastern Spring Realm, filled with gorgeous gardens and fields of wildflowers that bent gently to the balmy breeze. Huge willow trees were planted next to blooming orange, apple and pear blossoms, and it seemed that no matter which way I looked, baby animals were everywhere. I had to forcefully suppress an adolescent, "Aww…" several times.

The Guardian was waiting for me when I arrived, courtesy of my newfound talent of teleporting within the realms. Eventually, I would be able to extend that capability in the mortal realm, though only Royals were able to. The Guardian was also a dragon, as I'd once been told by Vox, but was decidedly smaller and seemingly more feminine than Vox. Her hide was a combination of blush pink and lilac, her talons and spikes sparkling like rose quartz in the sunshine. Her wings, when extended, held veins of seeming filigree resembling delicate lace, and her neck was longer and more elegant. Her eyes, framed by thick lashes that took me by surprise, were the color of a robin's egg, and shone with such happiness that I found it impossible not to smile back and feel at ease.

"Welcome Lorelai," she said, her voice like the ringing of crystal, the most beautiful soprano I'd ever heard. "My name is Lente. Are you ready?"

My experiences with the other Realms were vastly similar. The Guardian of Autumn, a large and brawny dragon named Outono, with a deep auburn colored hide and ruby like eyes, had a playful side that was hidden behind his remarkably deep and gruff voice. Likewise, the Guardian of Winter, a delicate looking ice dragon, with a pure white hide and eyes the color of the clearest blue-green ice and a whispering voice, was my most harsh and trying instructor. Ierna, however, also helped me discover that not only did I have a strong proclivity for Summer, as my mother did, but that I also held the same amount of natural talent for Winter Glamour.

"Extremes," she commented on our last session. "You will deal best in extremes. It will either be all or nothing for you, no medium."

Afterwards, Vox, or whichever Guardian I was training with, would send me back to the world of sleep, where my mind and body merged into the world of blissful nothingness, until the alarm clock woke us up to repeat the process all over again.

I also learned that it was easier to access and maintain my Glamour with the necklace Vox had given me, which had resulted in a rather interesting argument between me, Seth and Alice Cullen.

Seth had given the necklace to Alice for safe keeping, saying that it was dangerous for unknown reasons. Any werewolf within the same room as the piece of jewelry said the same thing, that it was powerful, old and dangerous, and that it should be gotten rid of. However, when it was in my presence, I felt stronger, calmer, and more confident than I had in months. Alice was neutral, holding an aboriginal bag in her small hands, watching Seth and I argue back and forth like an entertaining tennis match. Usually, she cheerfully informed me, she would be able to see who won the argument and tell him; my Fey magic, however, interfered with her visions, and so she didn't have the answer for the winner.

It was only when Sansai entered the room, irritated at having to wait for me for longer than five minutes, that our questions were answered. The necklace felt like a danger to the wolves because it _was_ ancient and powerful, and they were smart to have caution around it. However, those feelings would dissolve as soon as I put it on and claimed it as my amulet, the Gaelic translation which was too complicated to even wrap my mind around. True to her word, the minute I touched the jewelry, everyone in the room relaxed. Only Seth carried his misgivings about it, and I think it had more to do with Sansai being right than anything else.

Since obtaining the necklace, I'd found that my Glamour was easier to manipulate, almost as if it were eager to perform. Even in Avalon, my control of the elements grew exponentially, and my training progressed along with it.

But what surprised me, what surprised everyone, even Cahir and Sansai, who were my go-to experts on all things Fey, was that physically, my body responded beautifully to all of the training, as if it had been waiting all this time to begin the rigorous exercise. My muscles hardened, soreness abated quicker than was normal, my cardio improved to the point where Seth and I were doubling up on paths, just to push me. It was crazy, but I felt that my mental exhaustion was enough to accept the strangeness without complaint. I wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

It all came to a head on the fourteenth day of my training; it was the semi-annual running of the perimeter, where the packs swept the full expanse of their vast territory to make sure everything was up to par. Report in on any discrepancies, like foreign vamp scents, or breaches in the lines. The packs were all engaged, and it was a big coming of age deal for some of the younger wolves, since it would be their first time going. The plans had seemingly been laid out, concrete and sound, when Sam up and announced that he would not be participating, and that Jared would be stepping in as temporary Alpha. Sam didn't want to leave Emily, who still hadn't popped, alone, and which was understood by all the pack members, especially those with imprints. My ears were still ringing from the shrillness of the expectant mother's voice as she laid into her husband, her beautifully scarred face turning an interesting shade of red.

"Samuel Uley! If you stay in this house one second longer, I'll be sure to remove myself from its confines! Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT even _think_ about abandoning your post! Do you hear me, Samuel? I won't have it!"

Watching the blood drain from Sam's face as his _very_ pregnant wife shook her rolling pin at him, still covered in flour, was utterly priceless. I bit my lower lip to keep from saying anything.

Emily's eyes flashed to me, brightening with a triumphant gleam I suddenly dreaded. "Lorelai will stay with me, and Dr. Cullen is on stand-by. This," she emphasized, gesturing to her extremely protruding stomach, "isn't likely to be going anywhere. And I can't take you breathing down my neck while I'm distracting myself with baking. Now, Lorelai will bring some tea and help out with everything I need. For Christ's sake, Sam! She's a Fairy princess with kick-ass powers, not to mention two full time Fairy guards! Nothing will happen to us!"

I caught a strange look being exchanged by Seth and his Alpha, whose usual smile was replaced by a mask of concentration.

"Fey, actually," I interrupted, stifling a grin unsuccessfully. "Fairies are tiny, and they attend to the new blooms in spring." Nobody was listening to my Fey lesson, but I felt the need to say it anyway. Seth shot me a lopsided grin, making my stomach flutter.

Sam, wisely choosing the battles he fought, smiled at his wife with all the adoration in the world, kissing her tenderly with his hand on her stomach. He nodded, albeit grudgingly, if the lines around his eyes were any indication. With a final flourish of commands, the packs broke into their patrol groups, saying their temporary goodbyes. Seth had assured me that he'd be back by the middle of night, if not, then by this time (6 am) tomorrow for sure. He was partnering Simon, who was more eager than a kid standing outside of a candy store, waiting on Sam's porch with a nervous tapping of his fingers on the wooden banister.

"I'll be back before you know it," he said, wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me up against him with a white smile. My hands ran over the smooth skin of his forearms, feeling the taut sinew and muscle beneath the russet tan.

"If you're not, I reserve every right to employ my ass-kicking Glamour to bring your hide home," I teased. His brown eyes glinted when I said the word home, and I soon found myself consumed by the soul searing kiss he planted on me. What started off as a simple, 'see-you-soon' kiss quickly escalated into something more, something hungry. His mouth parted mine, lighting my tongue with the taste of cinnamon and Seth. He was like my own, custom brand of oxygen, and I couldn't get enough of him. Even when the guys started cat-calling, we didn't hear them, so consumed we were with each other. My nails dug into his arms as my back arched into him, licking flames of desire up and through my body.

I'd never understood the references to love and lust as a fiery inferno, but I understood them now. I would swim through these flames, so long as Seth was there with me. Gladly.

His hands began to roam, stroking up and down my spine, caressing my hips and waist. I suddenly became very aware of all the stares, and knew that I would have to be the one to end this, despite my very being screaming at the thought. For a few seconds more I gave him all I had, feeling his surprise mingle with satisfaction. I pulled his bottom lip gently between my teeth, enough to feel his sharp inhale of pleasure. I pulled away when he would've dove for me, resulting in a strange intense embrace/hug. I could feel his heaving breathing curtained behind my hair, and I wound my arms around his neck, planting my mouth next to his ear so that my voice couldn't be picked up from even the most sound-sensitive werewolf.

"Soon," I whispered, my voice husky and the innuendo loud and clear. I kissed his cheek softly, disentangling myself before he could take advantage of his height. I hurried over to Emily's side, looping my arm through hers and watching as two by two the wolves phased. Seth cast me one last heated gaze before disappearing through the tree line, and I felt that gaze from my fingers to my toes. I heard Emily's chuckle as she led me inside, the overwhelming smell of blueberry muffins taking my senses into hyper drive.

"I know that look," she said, winking at my blush. I headed to the sink to wash my hands, clearing my head with the scent of lavender soap. I emptied my bag of the ginger and Chai teas I'd swiped from Seth's Tea Shop, aka the hidden cubby in his pantry (a running joke I would never give up teasing him about), and started boiling some water, finding two ceramic mugs and placing them on the counter.

"I don't know what you are talking about," I demurred, tying one of her spare aprons around my waist. It was midnight blue, with a white full moon stitched on it, appropriate for the occasion, or so I thought.

"Uh-huh," she smirked, going back to rolling out the dough she'd started before Sam's declaration. I smiled, joining her side while mixing the filling of the soon to be baked blueberry pie. She'd been on a blueberry kick the past couple of days, craving them and the serenity of baking she usually found solace in.

If Rachel and I had bonded over shopping and clothes, then Emily and I had bonded over cooking. My dabbling in Italian and French cuisine went a long way in pastry and baking, and I soon found myself over at Emily's, whenever she needed a distraction or when I had time between my training. It was the type of fruit that kept fluctuating; she'd gone through apples and peaches, raisins and currants, raspberries and strawberries, bananas and mangoes, and now she was on to blueberries.

Not that any of the guys were complaining.

The muffins were in the oven, the scones cooling on a rack on the kitchen table, the crumb cakes were on the island, waiting to be christened in powdered sugar, and all that was left was the blueberry pie. Emily was insisting on scalloped edges, and I was inclined to let her have her way.

We worked in companionable silence, until the tea kettle whistled and I fixed us two cups of steaming tea. I turned on the little portable radio sitting on top of the refrigerator, tuning it to an oldies station that we both immediately began humming to. We sat back with our tea, waiting for the pie.

We'd gone through three cups a piece when the pie was finished, and I pulled out the decadent dessert with barely a hold on my hunger. It smelled heavenly. Emily cleaned up the kitchen of our baking mess while I organized all the goodies into a more convenient pattern. The smell of baked goods and blueberries soaked into my skin, and I wondered if I would carry the smell with me for the rest of the day.

We had a breakfast of muffins and scones, curling up on the sofa with our tea to watch some home design show that Emily had been watching the last couple of days. She claimed it was the only way to keep Sam out of the house; he couldn't stand to listen to the decorating tips and tricks.

It was then that I noticed how periodically Emily massaged her stomach, discomfort plain on her face. She shifted from side to side, unable to become at ease in her own home. I felt my eyes widen, and I set my mug on the coffee table, staring at her.

"How long?" I asked her, my tone broking no argument. She gave me a guilty look, brushing her hair back from her shoulders.

"Since midnight," she said. My jaw dropped in shock. "I was fine all morning, and Sam just thought it was one of those restless nights. It was only this past hour that they were getting worse."

"Should I call Dr. Cullen?" I asked, pulling out my cell phone. I realized then that I didn't have his phone number.

Emily shook her head, smiling to reassure me. "No, not yet. We'll call him when it's closer."

Slightly worried, I cleaned up our plates, glancing up at the clock. It was nearly noon, which meant that Emily had been feeling these pains for nigh on twelve hours. I wrung my hands, unsure of what to do, and finally decided to rejoin Emily on the couch.

A few hours later, Emily was in the kitchen making an early dinner, and I was in the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face to wash the sleep from my eyes. I'd somehow dozed off and only the smell of meat on the skillet had woken me. I was drying my hands when a loud crash came from the kitchen, ringing through the walls like a bell tolling the time.

I raced through the door, skidding around the corner. Emily had dropped a frying pan to the floor, which accounted for the ringing noise. She had one arm propped against the counter, the other on her lower back, her face twisted in pain. Her breath was coming in short huffs and I hurried to her side.

"I think," she managed to get out. "It's time to call Carlisle."

I nodded, bringing her over to sit on a chair. Outside, the sky had darkened, the limbs of trees slapping against the windows with a vengeance. Rain sloughed down from thunderheads, and a crack of thunder vibrated in my bones. Perfect. A storm.

I pulled out my cell phone, ready to ask for Carlisle's number, when said phone beeped.

"No service," I spat, as if the words were curses. "Em, where's your landline?"

Her head tilted back, and she moaned. "We don't have one. What with cell phones and pack telepathy, there was no need."

Fantastic. I kept quiet, not wanting to upset her any more than she was. I had the keys to my new Audi, which was parked outside, in my back pocket, and luckily, Seth had programmed the Cullen's address into the GPS already. If I didn't get caught by any small town cops (and worst case scenario I could call in my international immunity), I could grab Carlisle and be back here in ten minutes or less.

I got up, casting a wary eye to the window, where the sky had turned a mottled shade of purple. My amulet hummed against my skin, charging my blood with an energy I hadn't had an hour ago.

"Emily, I'm going to need to go get Dr. Cullen," I said. With more speed than I expected from her she caught my hand in her grasp, yanking me to her side. She crushed the bones in my fingers as she cried out in pain. I winced.

"No!" she gasped, her eyes frantic. "Don't leave!"

"Shh, it's alright," I soothed, kneeling by her side. She still had my hand in a death grip. "I won't leave you."

She nodded, sweat plastering strands of her dark hair to her forehead. I had no idea of what to do, but it was obvious she was close. I needed to get Carlisle, but I couldn't leave her in this condition and the phone service was dead. The amulet thrummed insistently, until my eyes found the flash of lightning strike across the sky.

"Emily, I'm not leaving you," I repeated. "I'm going outside on the porch. Yell if you need me, okay?" She nodded, releasing my hand. I winced again as blood rushed back into it, and I made my way out the front door, being sure to keep the door open. I was surprised by the charge that crackled around me, once I stepped out into nature. I reached and easily grasped the slickness of my Glamour, easier now when it stormed.

I hadn't attempted astral projection in a few days; Cahir thought it might be best to leave it alone, until I grew stronger. No time like the present to give it one more go. And Ierna had said that I would work best in extreme situations. If this wasn't extreme, I didn't know what would be.

I closed my eyes, pulling all the Glamour I could towards me, just as Cahir had taught me. I centered it on the teardrop jewel of my amulet, feeling the diamond pulse heatedly. Now came the tricky part; I had to imagine myself microscopic, small enough to put a caricature of myself inside the amulet and Glamour. I had to imagine every spare inch of my skin soaked in the brilliance of my magic, and when I glowed with saturation, I had to imagine myself stepping through the diamond, like stepping through a portal.

At least, that's what Cahir said was supposed to happen.

I felt none of the usual resistance, but I refused to allow that small victory to distract me from the goal at hand. When my miniature stepped through the diamond, I pictured the Cullen's living room, every last detail, in my mind's eye and desperately prayed that when I opened my eyes, I would actually be there.

It took everything in me to keep from yelping in uncontained joy.

It was strange, seeing through my astral projection. Everything looked the same as before, but I was more hyperaware of the scenery. I was especially aware of the girl on the couch, staring at me with wide brown eyes the color of milk chocolate.

"Lorelai?" Renesmee asked. I could tell that I'd piqued her curiosity, since she obviously hadn't heard me arrive directly in front of her. "You know that you just kind of faded in, right?"

I smiled, dazzled when she smiled back. "Nessie, where's your grandfather?"

Her head quirked to the side, a bit birdlike in motion. "Grandpa, or Pop Pop?"

I blinked, unsure of what she meant. She laughed, taking pity on me. "Carlisle or Charlie?"

"Carlisle," I said, relieved. She grinned, climbing to her feet in a fluid motion. I soon noticed that she was by herself, when usually she was surrounded.

"He's up in his office," she said. "And everyone is out running patrol with the packs."

"I thought that it was your dad who was the mind reader," I teased, to which she rolled her eyes. Her mouth opened to respond when Carlisle entered, having heard our conversation.

He stopped behind the sofa, surprise and scientific intrigue lighting on his face. "Miss Savione? How did you-?"

"The service in the area is dead, the Uleys do not have a landline, Emily wouldn't let me out of her sight, and she's about to deliver."

Just as if I'd dumped a bucket of ice water on him, Carlisle jumped into action, shrugging into his coat as he sent Nessie upstairs to retrieve his bag of supplies.

"We'll be there in five minutes," he assured me. I nodded, closing my eyes and feeling a sucking/vortex sensation before a loud _POP!_ When I opened my eyes once more I was back on Emily's porch, slowly getting drenched by the sideways rain. I hurried back inside the house, closing the door with a click. Emily hadn't moved, although she was moaning out loud.

"Carlisle is on his way," I told her, hurrying to her side. "What can I get you?"

"A cool cloth," she said, fanning her face. "It's stifling in here."

I nodded, switching the overhead fan on as I soaked a dishcloth with ice water. I was sponging off her brow when the front door opened, and Carlisle and Renesmee walked in. Nessie smiled at me, despite the wet, tangled mess her hair was in, and I quickly moved out of Dr. Cullen's way. I was surprised to see how well he and Ness worked, her seeming to know what he needed before he asked. I stayed in the kitchen, fetching fresh linens when they needed them.

It was the longest five hours of my life, but Dr. Cullen never wavered. At the last second, Emily called out for me, and I held her hand as she pushed at last. The room, which had been silent, apart from the sound of wind, rain and the fan, was broken by the healthy wailing of a baby, bringing tears to my eyes. Carlisle smiled beatifically, complimenting the new mom on her job of delivering a healthy baby boy.

Working with his vampiric speed and agility, plus years of experience and training, Carlisle had the baby cleaned and swaddled in a light blue blanket, handing him to me to hold. Immediately my arms formed a cradle, taking the slight weight easily, staring down at the slightly pink baby, with a tuft of black hair on his small head. I lifted my finger to his tiny fist, letting out a breathy laugh when he grasped it.

Renesmee took my place holding Emily's hand, and I watched as almost immediately, a second wailing took to the air. Carlisle quickly took care of the infant, and when he turned around, cradling the newborn, I saw the pink blanket.

"Congratulations, Emily," he said, with a smile too beautiful for a man to have. "You have a healthy son and daughter."

Emily had been moved to her bed, propped up on a mountain of pillows, and a steady stream of tears were flowing from her overjoyed eyes. Nessie took the dirty linens down to the laundry room with the same efficiency of a vampire, and I joined Emily on the bed, handing her little baby boy over to her care. Emily took both her babies, one in each arm, placing a light kiss on each of their downy-soft skin, cooing to them softly.

"Did you discuss names?" I asked, knowing that Sam would be floored to learn Emily had successfully delivered twins on her own. She smiled, glowing and more radiant than I'd ever seen her.

"We'd come up with names, depending on if it would be a boy or a girl." Her eyes twinkled.

"You are diabolical," I teased.

"I present Elijah Levi Uley, and his sister, Delilah Mira Uley."

Elijah and Delilah and Emily were all earning some well-deserved rest, Carlisle watching over them all. Nessie was braiding my hair, quizzing me on all things Fey (she was nearly as hungry for new information as I was). The storm had abated, but the night was full, and we sat on the porch, inhaling the fresh sea spray and ozone. I couldn't keep the smile from my face.

Ness perked up beside me, her gaze on the forest.

"They're back," she said, grinning impishly. As if confirming, a howl took to the air, echoed by at least a dozen more. The packs slowly filtered through, most staying in their wolf forms. I recognized Quil and Embry, as well as the twins trailing after Paul and Jared. The rest came out in their human shapes, more relaxed than when they'd left. Jake came loping through the trees, and in a perfectly choreographed move, he caught Nessie just as she launched herself off the porch, laughing and giggling the whole time.

"Hey, Ness!" he whooped, spinning her around. "What, you couldn't wait for me at home?"

She pressed her palm against his cheek, and I knew that she was communicating to him what had happened today. Jacob's eyes widened, glancing over to Jared and Paul. He set Nessie on her feet, whispering into Jared's ear.

No sooner than he finished speaking, then a lone, haunting howl rose into the air, nearly three miles away. Carlisle joined me on the porch, looking in the same direction.

"Incoming," I said.

Sam came barreling out of the woods a few seconds later, a large black wolf panting and pacing. The rest of the packs were soon to follow, and I found my sandy colored wolf sitting next to Jake, his dark eyes watching me.

"Emily is healthy, happy, and resting," Carlisle said. I noticed that Sam now stood at the foot of his porch, looking nervous in his jean cutoffs. "And so are your son and daughter."

Sam looked like a mix of being punched in the gut and overjoyed, and I couldn't keep the laugh as a mixture of whoops, hollers and howls decorated the sky. Sam grasped Carlisle by the forearm, emotion shining in his dark eyes.

"Thank you, Doc," he said. Carlisle nodded.

"You should also thank Lorelai's astral projection," he said, much to my embarrassment. Sam smiled gratefully at me before ducking into his house, and I rubbed my hand across my eyes, suddenly finding my body dead with exhaustion. A warm pair of arms wound around my waist, and I collapsed against Seth's chest gratefully. Pulling the Audi's keys from my back pocket, I handed them to him, taking refuge in his strength.

"You drive."

He didn't say anything. He just swept me up into his arms as if I weighed nothing, hopped off the porch, and deposited me in the passenger seat, speeding through the rez until he rolled to a smooth stop in front of his house. Then I was back in his arms, and we were up the stairs and in his room. Slowly, he lowered me to my feet, every inch of my body running against his.

Seth's arms still held my waist, and my arms rested comfortably on his arms, and all of a sudden all I could feel was my heart racing, the blood rushing through my veins, Seth's heat under my fingertips. When I tilted my head back to look at him, his dark chocolate eyes, flecked with amber and gold, I was filled with an electrifying energy, no longer exhausted from the trying day.

"I mastered my astral projection," I murmured, knowing that I was beginning to ramble from nerves. "There was no cell service and I had to get Carlisle-"

Seth began nuzzling my neck, placing soft kisses to my overly sensitive skin, his teeth grazing in the hollow of my collarbone. Chills racked my spine and I clutched myself closer to him, pressing my hips against his and feeling my back arch.

Seth began walking us backwards, and I soon felt the back of my knees hit the bed. Giggling, I fell backwards, tugging Seth down on top of me. Seth growled deep in his throat, his fingers dancing against the bare skin that had been exposed from my shirt riding up. My hands wove through his hair, and I pulled his lips to mine, kissing him hungrily, more ambitious now that we were alone.

Seth wasn't nearly as contained as he usually was with me, the commanding way his mouth and body moved against mine driving me nearly out of my mind. I was only half aware of when my shirt came completely off, reveling in the feel of my bare skin against Seth's. I was too distracted, running my hands over the taut muscles of his shoulders and back, placing kisses on his collarbone, neck and cheeks whenever his mouth broke from mine.

I found myself reduced to nothing more than sounds, unable to find coherent words. Seth was kissing me the way no guy had before; as if he were a brand, tattooing himself in and under my very skin. I could feel a growl rumbling beneath his muscles, and it brought something out in me that wasn't necessarily human. It was more wild, unrestrained…more like a force of nature commanding my actions. And yet, it felt right, absolutely right. When I ran my nails down his back, pulling his lower lip through my teeth, he shuddered, pulling away to stare deeply into my eyes.

"I love you, Lorelai," he said, his voice a combination between gruff and growl. He never broke eye contact, and I could both feel and see the pure love radiating from chocolate and amber eyes. My fingers gently traced the contours and angles of his face, lingering along his jaw and the seam of his lips. Moving with a silent grace, his teeth captured the pad of my finger, nipping gently before releasing it. Leaning up, I ran my hands up along his taut arms, wrapping them firmly around his neck, pulling him down on top of me. Our lips pressed together, I murmured against his mouth.

"I know."

**Aw, snap! What did you guys think? Please review, I would really love some feedback! xoxo!**


	19. Fighter

**Let the games begin!**

**Chapter Nineteen**

For the first time in two weeks, I didn't go to Avalon for training. I could still see the golden light, and I could've grasped it like a lifeline, using it to tow me there. But I was much too comfortable in my position next to Seth, and feeling too excited from finally mastering my astral projection, that I ended up talking myself into taking a break. Starting tomorrow, I'd get back to training, kicking it up a notch. For now, I would sleep.

Like clockwork, the minute the first ray of golden morning light crept into the room, I was awake. I smiled to myself, feeling Seth's heavy arm still wrapped around my waist, securely anchoring me to his warm chest. My head was pillowed on his bicep, and I could feel his breath on my hair. Our breathing was evenly matched, in tune with one another the way it never had been before.

Seth was still deeply asleep, when he was usually the one dragging my ass out of bed; the patrol had taken a lot out of him, and so had our late night activities. Another grin crossed my lips as I carefully dislodged myself from his inviting embrace, reminding myself of the bargain I'd made with my conscious last night. I'd go out for my morning run and be back in time for a quick shower, letting Seth sleep in some.

I threw my hair up into a ponytail, slipping into my running tights and a close fitting running jacket, sliding on my new thermal gloves and Nike free-runs. I took a few gulps of water, waking myself up some more, before leaping out into the crisp morning air and inhaling the salty brine of the sea. Bending over to touch my toes, I stretched out my muscles, working blood into my limbs before setting out at a brisk jog, my heavy amulet stored safely beneath my jacket and against the hollow of my neck.

I jogged along First Beach, the sand acting as a natural incline and an additional workout while maintaining my speed. For the hell of it, I decided to work in some elemental Glamour, working my endurance physically and metaphysically. I pulled on the natural magic of the sea, bending the waves to my will with a satisfied glow settling in my chest. I pushed the tide out further than was natural, holding it there for a single minute before releasing it in a rush. Then I did the opposite, pulling the tide in far enough that the foam misted my legs, the freezing temperature like a shock to my system, before letting it go once more.

I kept up the exercise for the entire beach run, stopping after running nearly twenty miles of coastline. Physically, I felt charged, neither out of breath nor dealing with burning calves and thighs. But I had exhausted my Glamour muscles, and I felt like I could sleep for an entire day and not recover. I hadn't attempted that much at one time before, but I was proud of myself for accomplishing it. It would make me stronger.

After my short break, I headed back, this time taking a route through the forest, leaping over fallen logs and low brush like a track hurdler, kicking up my speed this time through. Instead of manipulating my Glamour, I pulled from it, tapping into the damp, dark earth, the century old vegetation, and using it to push myself harder, faster. The trees began to blur, but I could still see every little detail in sharp contrast. I couldn't contain my ecstatic smile. It was absolutely liberating.

Connected as I was to the forest, it was also connected to me, knowing instinctively that I was a creature of nature and responding to it.

During one of my Fey lessons, Cahir had brought me into the forest, which he said would be useful in his demonstration.

"The Native Americans were onto something when they taught younger generations," he said, caressing the bark of a rather large spruce tree with his fingers as if it were Italian leather. "The forest is to be respected. Protected. But we, as Fey, can take it a step further. The forest is like a brain, an intricate network of information and energy that only we can tap into. When you connect to it," he paused, closing his eyes, his palm planted firmly against the trunk, "it connects to you. You can see everything, hear everything, _feel_ everything, that the entire forest can, past and present. You can see a fox den ten miles up into the mountains even when you're near the coastline, because it is part of the network."

He stopped, his deep violet eyes opening, and motioned for me to come over to the tree, taking my hand and laying it against the aging bark, like his. "But just as you learn from it, the forest simultaneously learns from you. If you ask for it, it will show you things, things that it has seen centuries ago. The forest is one of the safest places to keep secrets, because only a few can unearth them."

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling the tree hum beneath my fingers, as if it were recognizing me. Of their own volition, my eyes closed, and I listened to the hum.

"Before mastering the use of astral projection, the way we communicate is through the forests. Those unusually gifted can also use the sands of the desert or the tides of the ocean, or even the flakes of a snowfall, but every Fey, regardless of rank, can access the network of forests to deliver messages. It's not something taught; it's instinctual. You simply connect to the forest, convey the message you wish, and indicate where, or to whom, it is to go. You don't have to speak aloud, and if you do it's best to speak in the Ancient Tongue, which you will have to learn. However, speaking mentally works just as well."

The humming of the spruce grew louder, a rushing in my ears, before leading to a loud _POP!_ as if someone had burst the bubble. Sounds, smells, sights rushed before my eyelids like a film, and I knew, just _knew_, that the tree was showing me what it had seen. When the images began to slow, and the humming began to quiet, I silently thanked the tree, feeling the bark beneath my fingers warm in acknowledgement. Opening my eyes, I found Cahir smiling, his arms crossed over his chest.

"See?" he said, to which I grinned. "Instinctual."

Since that day, I'd found that I could connect to the nature network at will, and feel every small disturbance within the forest. I became one with the forest. I now could understand how Sansai seemed to disappear all the time. It wasn't that she was there one minute, and gone the next; the forest was enfolding her into his protective embrace, shielding her. It was how I'd been able to outrun the wolves that day; sensing my distress, the forest had lent me speed and agility. My body, however, unable to cope with and unused to such exertion, had fought and rejected it almost immediately. With my training, it wouldn't do so again.

As I was running, I felt a shudder rush through the network, a reaction to something cold and unnatural entering. From the source of the rippling effect, I was able to narrow the disturbance to the northwest, right by some of the cliffs near the Makah Bay, nearly 65 miles away. Whatever it was, it had come through the ocean, and the forest was not happy.

I slowed in my run, using the trees' intelligence to try and determine what it was. The only time I'd ever experienced something similar was whenever one of the Cullens, at Cahir's assistance, stepped into the forest. Though the trees, sensing their unorthodox reform, held no reactions, the animals and wildlife did, and the message was still clear: Danger.

With a gasp, I finally connected the dots. Vampires. Red-eyed, truly orthodox vampires. That was the only thing that could make the forest react this violently. And I knew that the packs needed to be alerted, ASAP.

I began to run in earnest now, using my now flawless sense of direction to point me in the way of La Push, and to Seth. I pushed into speeds that weren't unlike those of the intruding vampires, which were quickly beginning to be on my horror radar. They were moving, they were moving _fast_, and they were moving _South_.

_They're hunting something, but what? _I wondered, pumping my arms faster. _Or who?_

I thought of the Cullens, and of their story, and my panic grew. From what I'd been told, the entire international vampire community had heard of the Cullens, thanks to their standoff against the Volturi. Any vampire, orthodox or non, who wished to see or visit them was required to contact them ahead of time, either through phone or email, and receive permission. And they only received permission after they'd been judged as non-threatening and a full-scale defensive wolf line was established. There was no way that anyone on this land now was invited nor announced, especially the day after a running of the full territory. Whoever these vamps were, they were definitely dangerous.

I suddenly received an additional boost in speed, the trees assisting me when it became clear that danger was coming, and coming fast. What had once been nearly 40 miles separating us was rapidly becoming twenty, and shrinking at a pace much quicker than I could have predicted. For the first time, in a long time, my lungs began to scream and my calves began to burn, and still I pushed faster, harder. With every rapid footfall, my heart beat out a steady staccato to encourage me on.

_Seth, Seth, Seth, Seth, Seth_…

I leapt over felled trunks and cleared over entwined bushes, all the while feeling the back of my hair stand up from the encroaching sense of danger. Nearly five miles out from La Push, and I knew that I wouldn't make it. They were too strong, too fast, and if I was caught running I'd be killed. Instead, I embraced my potent Fey side and did the next best thing. I hid.

Still sprinting, I spied an immense oak tree, its highest branches concealed under volumes of thick foliage, and ran for it, jumping onto a thick granite boulder and using it as a springboard to vault myself into the trees. Like a cat, I landed on my feet, planted on a lower bough that was still uncomfortably exposed. Quickly I leapt from branch to branch, climbing higher and higher with the dexterity of an Olympic gymnast, until I was as high as I could go, protected by a tangled briar of branches and hidden by a blanket of leaves.

Inhaling quick pants of air, I pressed myself against the trunk, desperately pleading for the forest to hide me. Answering my call, I watched as the tree almost folded around me, how my shallow panting became silent and how the trunk molded to my back. Safe and sound, I extended my hearing, feeling the countdown begin inside my head.

_5, 4, 3, 2…_

"Stop."

The voice was deep and masculine, and held a musical quality that I'd heard in Carlisle and Jasper's voices. Two dark haired, male vampires halted within the small clearing my tree was in, too close for comfort and far too close to the packs' territories than was safe for two vampires. Even for one that was just as terrifyingly large as Emmett Cullen. The one who had issued the command stood behind the larger one, and I could feel the way his blood red eyes searched through the discontent of the forest. I huddled deeper into the tree, the branches closing in around me.

"I do not like this, Felix," the larger one spoke, unease radiating from his unusually still form. His focus was in the direction of the reservation. "The Hounds of Hell are here. We would not stand against them."

"Afraid of a little dog, Demetri?" Felix replied, darkly amused. "That doesn't become you."

"I know when I could be beat," Demetri shot back testily. "And I can assure you that the two of us, against at least twelve of them, would not end in our favor. And who knows how many mongrels have sprouted in the last six years? There's probably more."

_There are_, I thought to myself, silently urging for the pack's to be alerted. The older ones; the thought of the younger wolves going up against these two hardened vampires terrified and worried me. Then I paused, listening to their conversation.

They knew the number of wolves from _six years ago_, the same time that the packs had united with the Cullens against the Volturi. These two vampires were dressed in dark gray cloaks. With their intimate knowledge of the land, they had to have been sent by the Volturi. My breath held in my throat.

"Aro sent us here for a mission, and we're not leaving until it's complete," Felix said, still searching with his eyes. They paused in the general direction of the reservation. "Though I won't risk our necks if I don't have to."

Demetri nodded. "What are we searching for? I was never told."

"Another feeder," Felix said, a note of excitement in his voice. "Aro discovered, at long last, through the one we recently acquired, that they are able to procreate like humans," he paused, exchanging a terrifying smile with his partner. "_With _humans even. We are searching for half-breeds, and what better place to begin the search than to where half-breeds seem to populate the most?"

Demetri nodded once more, more eagerly than before, and my heart dropped. What the hell was a 'feeder'? I had a sinking realization that I knew.

Felix came to the base of my tree, lifting his face to scent the wind.

"How will we find them? The ones we've gotten before have been lured there, and that was after they'd been spotted first, and by chance no less. We have no idea if there's any in the area," Demetri reasoned logically, speaking so softly that I wondered if he were talking to himself.

"True enough," Felix acquiesced. He grinned despite himself, malice edging the linings. "However, it would seem that with the addition of the feeders, my powers are developing. I can now track entire species, so it would seem. Therefore, when I encounter one of a new kind, I can track others of the same race. Thus, I know for certain that there is one _here_, in Washington. We just need to flush it out."

Demetri's eyes widened and his nostrils flared. "Excellent."

My palms were beginning to sweat, and I pressed them into the bark behind me. Silently, I begged the forest to find Sansai and Cahir, to tell them of the danger. Willingly, the forest searched and in my mind's eye, I saw two orbs of light, fifty miles to the North and the East respectively, flare in recognition. I closed my eyes in relief, letting out a sigh that was neither loud, nor completely silent.

Everything froze. My eyes flashed open in fear and shock at the same time that two menacing hisses laced the air. Before I could react, the tree shuddered _hard_, and the only thing that kept me from falling out was the deep embrace of the branches cocooning me in. With an aching groan, the ancient tree began to lean, and then to tilt, and then began to fall in seemingly slow motion. Belatedly, I realized that Demetri and Felix were _knocking the tree down_.

It landed with a shock that rattled my lungs, and I felt myself spurt into action, the tree branches obeying my will and allowing me out of their cradle. Rolling to my feet I sprinted towards the reservation, knowing that Demetri and Felix would at least pause before crossing into the territory. That pause would have to be enough.

I pulled my Glamour in around me, outpacing Demetri, who seemed to be stronger and faster than anyone I'd ever seen, all the while marveling at never having felt so charged and alive before. As I ran, I urged the trees to close in on the path behind me, feeling rather than seeing the entangling of branches and limbs, of rope-thick vines creating webs that further delayed the hunting vampires who had to crash through them. Likewise, I cleared the path before me, pushing obstacles out of the way so that I was given a straight path to Seth's house. I could feel Cahir in pursuit, the trees conveying his desperation and rage fueling him into incredible speeds. But my focus was on La Push and on Seth.

Almost a mile out, I felt something fault ahead of me, unable to move aside as I commanded. A granite boulder, nearly the size of a small cottage, was extended far into the earth and it was impossible to move. Instinctually, I shot my hand out and watched as if in a dream as a thick roping of vine wrapped around my extended arm, like a vise. Taking hold, I urged it to pull me off of my feet, leaping at the same time to give it an extra boost. Like Tarzan, or George of the Jungle, I used the vine as a rope swing, clearing over the top of the boulder while simultaneously hearing two thunderous roars take the air. We were close enough that any of the wolves could have heard it, and I prayed desperately for one of them to have been Seth.

Suddenly I was simply airborne, the vine limp in my grasp and my body in free fall towards the open ground. Glimpsing over my shoulder, I saw that Demetri had leapt _through_ the vine, snapping it off to break the contact. I tucked myself into a ball, aiming for the strawberry bushes, and urging them to cradle my fall. I landed with a thud, knocking the wind from my lungs, my hip bruising against the ground. Without wasting any time, I used my Glamour to inflate air into my lungs, and pushed off of my hands and onto my feet the way Jacob had taught me in one of our training sessions.

I couldn't run now; I'd have to fight. I braced myself, feeling the energy of the forest more than willing to do my every command. Glaring at me with ruby-red eyes, Demetri joined Felix in a stare down, more than once looking at my throat with a longing that disgusted me.

"Come now, little girl," Demetri taunted, his massive muscles coiling beneath his cloak. "No more running."

"Afraid that some wolves will come to play?" I asked, shocked at the eerily calm, earthy tone my voice had taken on. It was the kind of voice that portrayed power, and I knew that it was my cold and calculating Fey side coming out. "Because I can assure you that they will." The vampires' pupils dilated, but from fear or surprise at my blatant threat, I didn't know. My amulet, sitting against my throat, warmed in anticipation.

"Don't make us hurt you," Felix said, his voice trying to soothe me. All it did was grate.

"I'd like to see you try."

Cahir was ten miles out, and I reminded myself to ask him how he could move so quickly. If it was something that could be learned, it was on my next lesson plan.

With a growl, Demetri leapt, and I flexed my fingers, watching as an oak bough as thick as him swatted him away like an annoying gnat. Felix kept low, charging at me at a blindingly fast sprint, but I closed my fist, watching the roots of an ancient spruce sprout up through the ground and wrap around his legs, holding him fast. Incredulously, he began trying to break through the woodened fetters, but every time he chopped through one, another root would take its place. On my command, they began pulling him down into the earth, and he began to sink like in quick sand. He doubled his efforts, panicked.

I heard an enraged growl seconds before I saw Demetri come from above, barreling from a tree with my death his intent. I spread my arms out wide and snapped them together in a loud _CLAP!_, watching two boulders, small enough to be moved but large enough to do some damage, sail through the air from opposite directions and smack into the flying vampire, making a Demetri-stone sandwich that landed with a satisfying thud.

I reached my hand out in the direction of the river, feeling it swell as I coaxed it on. The small clearing that I'd created from my fleeing, once silent in anticipation, now filled with the sound of rushing water as a steady stream came flooding through the trees. I steered it towards Demetri, who was now struggling against the boulders, and watched as the water surrounded him, like a sphere or orb of liquid. I inhaled, feeling every individual particle of H20 within the sphere, and compressed it until it froze. There in the clearing, was an orb of river water, frozen into an iceberg, with Demetri and the boulders held captive inside.

A half second too late, I felt something behind me, and I turned just as Felix, who'd somehow broken free of my snare, backhanded me into a tree. I landed hard, snapping my head back against the bark, falling to my knees in a heap.

"I must admit that that was impressive," Felix complimented grudgingly. "But you are still young and only haphazardly trained. I have no doubt, however, that Aro will find this amusing and intriguing. Perhaps he'll keep you."

I collapsed face first into the ground, already sensing the blackness of unconsciousness ready to encroach on me. Digging my hands into the moist earth, I watched blearily as vines shot out for Felix, entangling him in a growing mess of webs and ensnarement's. If only I could delay him for a few moments more, then maybe Cahir would get here in time. I sent out another silent message, relayed through the trees, and felt both Cahir and Sansai, who was also coming for me, respond with another burst of speed and agility.

I saw Seth's face in my mind, and tears escaped from my eyes. The last thing that I did was scream, loud enough to make the trees shudder and shrill enough to make the nearest houses' windows shatter.

**Seth POV**

I woke with a jolt as the sound of shattering glass overcame me, and only my wolf instincts had me diving off the bed, protectively curling my arms around the comforter and Lorelai and taking them with me, to take cover on the floor. When the glass, which had come from my bedroom window, had settled, I sat up, my brow furrowing in surprise and confusion. Why had my window exploded? If this was some kind of joke from one of the pups, he was going to get an earful that he'd never forget.

"Hey, Lore, you alright?" I asked, pulling aside the comforter. My mind seemed unable to catch up, still groggy from sleep, so it took a solid minute of staring at my empty comforter to realize that Lorelai wasn't there. In fact, she wasn't in the bedroom at all.

Then the migraine hit, and I collapsed to the floor, the searing pain like a white hot, iron poker had been stuck in my brain. I clutched my hands to my temples, banging my forehead against the hardwood floor, anything to stop or detract from the pain.

It took me a few seconds more to realize that the pain wasn't natural, but it wasn't wolf related, not wholly. No, it came specifically from my imprint bond. It came from Lorelai.

_Danger…missing…calling for Us…_

Wolf's cryptic, one worded phrases had me on my feet, ignoring the broken glass digging into my soles as I went to the window. I could smell Lorelai's scent on the ocean air, putting two and two together to realize that she must've of went running. The wind then shifted, and I felt myself hurtling out the window without thinking, phasing into Wolf's natural form before hitting the ground at a dead sprint.

Vampires. And not one of the Cullens. And Lorelai.

We set up a battle cry, howling loud enough that any wolf within 100 miles would come running, and immediately I heard Leah and Jake respond, both having been woken by shattering glass.

_Seth, what's going on?_ Leah asked, sprinting in my direction.

I couldn't answer, and so Wolf responded, flashing pictures of Lorelai, of her running, and two unknown vampire scents in Our forest.

_No, this isn't happening…we just ran the perimeter yesterday…I can't lose her…I won't lose her…_

We followed her scent, Our bond to her, coming to a screeching halt in a very strange scene. Hundreds of vines lay broken in a pile, and some sort of rock-ice formation was sitting by a tree. The burning stench of the vampires singed my nose, but the sweet smell of jasmine, pears and vanilla was there as well, as fresh as thirty seconds.

We didn't know which was worse, that they had Her, or that We'd been too late. Picking up the vampires' scent trail, committing it to memory so that no matter what they would eventually die, We took off, following their trail. They were heading for the coast.

Embry chimed in then, and We nearly screamed when We realized he was by the coast.

_Kill them, stop them, just don't let them take Her_, Wolf commanded, surprising Embry and spurring him into action. When he was able to get a glimpse of two sprinting forms, something limp being carried, We moved faster.

When Embry saw them leap off the cliff, taking Her with them, the world shattered and I went blind.

**(oOoOoOoOoOo)**

Back at the clearing, Jake, Sam, and the rest of the PCP gathered, a mixture of wolves and Quileute. Unable to phase back, I remained in Wolf's form, reverting to the animal the same way Jake had all those years ago. The difference, however, was acute. He hadn't just lost his imprint to a couple of hostile vampires.

Leah remained wolf as well, resting her head over the ruff of my neck in comfort, although I couldn't feel it. Wolf acknowledged the She-wolf's sympathy, but We remained numb, deadened. Except for the penetrating, black rage consuming us inside and out.

After being forcefully kept from leaping into the ocean after them, we all had returned to the clearing, trying to piece together what happened and how best to pursue. Jake had laid an Alpha command on me, keeping me here instead of chasing after who knew what and to who knew where. It was the first time that I'd ever contemplated attacking my Alpha, but in the end, I'd known he was right. I couldn't help Lorelai if I didn't know where to go.

We hadn't been back two minutes when Cahir came barreling through the trees, double swords drawn and his face a mask of fury. He'd skidded to a stop, his purple eyes finding me, and they'd narrowed.

"Where were you?" he demanded, bristling my fur. "Where in the hell were you? She _needed_ you and you _failed_!"

I'd leapt for him, for his throat, but both Quil and Embry had leapt on me, pinning me to the ground while Jacob phased back, furious with the Fey.

"Where were _you_?" he yelled back, getting in Cahir's face. The Fey winced, but no emotion crossed his face. Cold-blooded fairy. "You're her Guardian! You're supposed to be with her, even if she didn't know it! Both I, and Sam, gave you our permission to have the run of our territory! And you dare insult the one person who would do anything in the God-damn world to protect her?"

Suddenly, the white haired Fey woman, Sansai, was there, putting a restraining arm on Cahir's shoulder, her blue eye and green one glaring icily at her Fey brethren. Dressed in leather leggings and a leather vest, her bow and quiver slung across her back and her own sword unsheathed, she looked every bit the cold Fey warrior.

"He's right," she said, her voice just as threatening. "_You_ failed, Cahir."

She turned to the rest of us, taking point as Cahir nursed his pride. Her eyes found me, and I growled in warning. She hardly paid attention, her gaze taking on a vacant quality for a moment, her voice just as empty, as if someone were speaking through her. It reminded me vaguely of Alice when she had a vision.

"She's strong," Sansai said, pride trickling in her voice. "Another week of training and she might not have been taken. She outran them as long as she could before fighting them off. Froze one inside an iceberg," she said, amusedly. "Her natural talent is astounding. They knocked her out cold, but before she went under_, _she used the cry of the _bean-sidhe_ in the hopes of alerting you to the danger."

"Banshee?" Jake asked, incredulously. Sansai nodded.

"It's something that all female Fey can do. It's a cry that reaches to so high a pitch that dogs and dolphins can't hear it, and it causes instant deafness to any human standing next to us. Your human companions should be fine. However, it is a weapon that can and will render a vampire completely senseless for at least ten minutes, unable to hear and sometimes see."

"When did you teach her that?" Jacob asked. A slow smile spread across Sansai's face, and I wanted to snatch it off with my paw.

"I didn't." She went vacant again, recounting what had happened. "They snatched her up and made for the coastline. They won't kill her," she said, her voice dipping into the horror tone I'd never suspected her capable of. "At least, not until they reach their destination. They are among the few who know what our blood and magic are capable of doing. Do the names of Demetri, Felix and Aro mean anything to you?"

We all froze, Jake and I exchanging glances. I growled, deep and ferocious, outraged at the audacity.

"The Volturi," Jacob replied darkly. "They're the Vampire Royalty."

Sansai looked, not at Jake, but at me.

"Then they just declared war on the entire Fey race."

That had been three hours ago, and I was getting antsy. Jacob was talking things over with Sam, since it had been decided that we would be taking a trip to Volterra, Italy for a rescue mission. Edward, after having confirmed that the two additional scents were in fact the trackers from the Volturi, had helped with the planning, and finally, we'd narrowed down who would be travelling. Jacob, myself, Quil, and Embry, leaving Leah (who had fought tooth and nail against the order), as Beta/Temporary Alpha of Gabriel, Andrew and Simon, who were also not pleased at being left behind. Sam was also lending both Paul and Jared for the trip, and he and Jake had done some strange, Alpha-pack switch so that our pack could speak with the two of them temporarily.

Edward would also be accompanying us, and after a much heated debate, including a low blow (Edward had pulled the 'we can't leave Nessie without both her parents _and_ Jacob' card, to which Bella reacted like _bean-side_ herself) Bella, Alice and Jasper would come, Alice for her Sight and Bella for the fact that the Volturi would be helpless in attacking us with their minds. We'd be leaving in two hours from the Cullens' private jet, and yet I still gnashed my teeth.

Jacob was finalizing details with Sam and we were raring to go. I hadn't visited my mom to say goodbye, despite both Jake and Leah's suggestion, partly because I didn't think I'd be able to control myself for very long, and partly because I didn't think I'd be able to really say goodbye and convince her I would return unscathed. My rage had gone from a red haze to a molten black lava, coating me like a slick so that I could only feel my hunger for destroying the ones who had taken Lorelai. I planned on returning, with Lorelai, but I knew that this mission would forever change me.

Sansai and Cahir and left for the Fey Court. Now that they knew who had been behind the kidnappings of their kind for the last hundred years, specifically that of tens of nobles as well as the Heir Apparent _and_ now the Infante Princess, they were reporting it to the High Council and the King, knowing that war would be declared. After years of hiding, because they did not _know_ who particularly their enemy was, they would go on the offensive, embracing their dark heritage the way they hadn't in 500 years. They would be awaiting our call for when the time was right.

The plan was simple. Get in. Threaten the Volturi politically, in the hopes that they'd release Lorelai and any other Fey they still held captive, before leaving. When the coast was clear, we'd call in Sansai and let the Fey wage the war they'd been dying for. (This entire last part was told only to the wolves and Bella, who'd shield our minds from Edward, so that if and when he 'communicated' with Aro, he wouldn't unintentionally tell him of our plan).

No one knew that I planned to take out two of the Volturi's guards, regardless of whether they complied with our wishes. That part couldn't be negotiated, and rather than waste precious time on arguing, Wolf had kept it hidden from everyone, the way only he could.

Time was running out. Alice had given us a timeline of fourteen hours before she saw Lorelai's lights cease to exist.

I'd just found her. I wasn't about to lose her.

**Aww snap! Seth's on a mission! What do you think? How were Lorelai's kick-ass Fey powers? Please review! XOXO**


	20. Tongues of Fire

**I just wanted to take the time and thank you all for your continued praise and support. It means more to me as a writer than anything else in the world. Thank you...and no, this isn't the final chapter, I just wanted to thank you all once more.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty**

Pain. Absolute, excruciating pain. Tongues of red hot flames licked up my body, down my body and ran like rivers of fire through my blood. I wanted to scream, anything to let out any of the heat wracking through me like a never ending tidal wave. But my throat was swollen shut, my jaw locked into place, and any thought of screaming evaporated just as another round of the firestorm was stoked into greater intensity.

Then, nothing. Just as I'd thought that I would be reduced into nothing but charred bone and ash, blissed nothing came over me. I felt no residual effects, not the way a normal burn still throbs hours, even days, afterwards. It was as if the burning had never existed, and I'd imagined the entire thing.

I did, however, register cold, hard stone, worn smooth from years, mayhap decades, of constant use. My eyes flashed open and I registered the scene with confused, yet still sharp, eyes.

I was flat on my stomach, my head turned toward the walls of a seemingly ancient stone antechamber, medieval torches hung, the flames replaced by modern electricity. There wasn't much but the ancient stone, which bordered on the centuries, not decades, old, and it was damp, chilled and generally uncomfortable for anyone prone to the fluctuations in temperature.

I pushed myself up to my knees, balancing against the natural dip in the floor, which all seemed to lead to a large metal grate, directly in the center of the room, and which gave me foreboding chills the like of which I'd never felt before. That grate, and what it housed beneath it, was nothing but unnatural.

I leaned back on my heels, finally taking in the scene before me. Three massive, ornate thrones took center stage, and my mind placed their origins to something from Roman, or Etruscan times, not completely refined in their creation but beautiful and imposing nonetheless. In each of the thrones sat a male vampire, varying in looks but all possessing the similarity of murky red eyes and skin so pale it was almost translucent.

The Volturi.

The one in the center immediately drew my attention, for the unsettling way his gaze was focused on me, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. His hair was black as pitch, his cloak nearly the same, and he sat in a stillness that was both unnatural and graceful. Neither the bored looking young man, who sat to his right, nor the snow-white haired man, of surprising middling age, could take hold of my attention the way he did. My Fey sense seemed to be screaming, _danger! Danger!_

I was surrounded by several more vampires, who all seemed to be focused on me, their ruby red eyes glinting hungrily in the light. There was a slight woman in a black cloak standing behind the thrones, looking nervous and fidgety, which immediately caught my attention. A quick glance over my shoulder revealed both the vampires Demetri and Felix, the first of which glared at me so strongly that I wondered if he would defy orders and kill me now. I was surprised he hadn't already.

"Wonderful, simply marvelous," came the whispery voice of the middle vampire, his hands clasping together as if he'd been presented a new, pleasing toy. "What a delightful creature! Jane, dear, how high did you go before she awoke?"

My eyes narrowed as a small girl, with the classic, impossible beauty of a cherub, and dressed in a dark charcoal clock, not quite black but close, stepped forward. Her red eyes flashed to me, disturbance marring her full, perfect pout. Her pale brown hair was bound back in a strict bun, making her appear more mature, but she couldn't have been older than twelve or thirteen.

"Master," she said, addressing the overly-pleased vampire. "I could have gone higher still."

He smiled at her like an indulgent father. "Of course, my dear, of course! I was only curious as to how strong she was! Very strong, if I believe my own suspicions. Very strong indeed."

I didn't know what it was. It could have been the self-satisfied tone of his whispery voice, or the way he looked at me like a puzzle he hadn't solved, but was undoubtedly sure he would, or it could have just been the way he referred to me as an inanimate object, something to be tested and admired, but for whatever reason, my temper snapped. I'd been taken away from my home, my family, my friends, from _Seth_, and I'd be damned if I was going to end my days playing the meek submissive human for these lowlifes. My narrowed gaze turned into a glare, and my amulet, which I was slightly surprised still hung around my neck, began to hum against my skin. It created enough sound to cause every pair of red eyes, including the bored vampire's, to land on me.

"You will find, dear girl, that we are three stories below the surface," the 'Master' said, smugness dripping into his voice despite the cordial, even genial demeanor he presented. "Which means that there is no source for you to draw power on. You see, I've become well versed in the way of the Fair Folk, and if what I saw is true," he continued, nodding towards Felix and Demetri, "then I don't plan on allowing you near anything natural and _living_. Although I must say, we have not been so lucky as to stumble upon one so, _potent_, in a very long time. It is utterly fascinating, isn't it brothers?"

Neither the bored one, nor the snow-haired white one, made bother to speak, and the humming of my amulet grew louder. Stretching my Glamour muscles, I tested the area and was disappointed to find that he was right; I was completely powerless, ensconced in ancient stone.

"But, forgive my rudeness, and allow me to introduce myself," he said, sweeping his arm out in an ethereal, gallant gesture. "I am Aro. These are my brothers, Marcus and Caius, and you've already been acquainted with Demetri and Felix. And you would be?"

"Someone who does not enjoy being kidnapped," I replied tartly, sending feelers out to try and discover any source of life, any at all. The young girl, Jane, whose name sent warning bells off in my head, snarled at my blatant show of disrespect. I flipped her off.

Aro laughed delightedly, not so much rising as gliding up from his seat. "Such spunk! Oh, yes, I find you refreshing!"

Nothing but stone. Frustrated, I pushed farther, looking through my mind's eye as I explored the underground cavern we were housed in. There had to be something…a potted plant, an aquarium (did the Vampire royalty like fish?), anything that I could draw from.

"Not that I care, but is there a particular reason why you kidnapped me?" I asked, raising a disdainful eyebrow. I hadn't moved from my position on my knees, and despite the discomfort I felt, I was using the time to search and gather my wits about me. Aro, it seemed to me, was the type of man, vampire or not, who loved to talk, if not for any other reason than to hear himself speak. I'd known many men in my profession who were similar; collectors of rare and beautiful things, who loved to show their collections to guests every time someone came to visit, detailing into its history and its journey to come into their possession. Yes, Aro was a collector of rare and beautiful things.

"I prefer the term acquired," he corrected, humor lighting his eyes. He began his way off of the raised dais, where the thrones were located, to float towards me, causing the trembling vampire behind him to scurry after him.

He raised a gentle hand, stopping the black haired vampire from following him.

"Master?" she asked, her voice high and wavering.

"It's alright, dear one, she can do me no harm here," he reassured her, causing my hands to curl into fists at my sides.

There had to be something! I couldn't not believe that there was not a single, _living_ thing down here besides me…

There! Like a moth to a flame, my Glamour converged on a source of life that repulsed and attracted me all the same. Down the corridor, behind several hidden and secure doors, was a woman, a _human_ woman.

I'd only ever learned to take from nature; the trees and vegetation, the dirt and earth itself, the waves of the ocean and the streams of the river. The only reason why I could use the boulders back in the forest was because they were saturated with life. The stones of this building had been inhabited by such unnatural beings for so long that they'd lost their natural essence. I could draw power from anything natural, anything living, and it seemed that in desperate times, my power could extend to the most desperate of means.

Carefully, so as not to damage or harm the unknown woman who was unknowingly aiding me, I drew energy from her, collecting it into the very source of me; my amulet. Then, when it was full, I used some more to blanket myself, protecting myself from Jane's (very painful) gift, as well as any others I might run into. I thanked Seth's stories for the wisdom they equipped me with.

All of this happened in the span of a few seconds, precious time in which Aro spent speaking.

"Since you did not feign ignorance in the wake of my mentioning of the Fair Folk, you must obviously know why you have been acquired?" Aro said, answering my question with one of his own. He now stood in front of me, and I had to tilt my head back to look into his face, my glare never once wavering.

"You want my magic," I said, the words coming out as if I'd cursed him. Caius, the white-haired one, chuckled darkly, his milky red eyes watching me in a bizarre combination of bloodlust and anticipation.

"We want your _blood_," he crudely corrected, settling into his throne the way some guys settle into a leather couch on Sunday football. "And what it does to us."

"How poetic," I sneered, causing several Volturi guards to hiss in warning. "I didn't know that vampires were addicts."

"What my brother means to say," Aro said, trying to soothe the tensions. "Is that the Fair Folk's blood, when taken into the system of a vampire, has stimulating, transformative effects on that vampire. We have found that the more potent the Folk, the more potent the effects. It's extraordinary."

"It is murder and genocide," I retorted hotly, resisting the urge to spit on the hem of his black cloak. "You take my people and drain them of the very essence of this earth. Do you have any idea of the _effects_ that has on the very fabric of this world?"

Aro's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morn, and I learned something very valuable about him. Aro wasn't just a collector of rare and beautiful things. He was a collector of information as well. The little tidbit that I'd given him, however fabricated it may be, was something new and shiny and just like an addict, he craved more.

"No, I do not," he admitted, smiling down at me like I was a lapdog who'd just done a very good trick. "Why don't you show me?"

He motioned for me to stand, which I did with more fluidity than I expected. Pulsing with Glamour, I became distinctly more Fey than human, and I embraced that cold, heartless, calculating side which had lain dormant for so long. Aro extended his hand towards me, and I looked at it before an idea formed in my head.

Quickly, I imagined the Glamour coating me like a shield becoming a live circuit of electricity, able to hold the voltage of several lightning strikes. The air became charged and the smell of ozone filled the dank stone antechamber, and I watched in silent satisfaction as several of the guard, as well as Caius, shifted unsettlingly. Apparently I could also create natural occurrences, if I had the means and motivation.

I looked up into Aro's expectant eyes, and a Cheshire grin stole across my face. I extended my hand forward.

"Certainly, Aro," I complied, my voice just a touch too sweet to be sincere. My eyes met Jane's around his shoulder, and I did the only thing I knew that would really unsettle her.

I winked.

"Master, no!" she cried, half a second too late. My palm had barely touched Aro's ice cold one before he simultaneously crumpled into a contorted ball and was sent fifty feet back, slamming into a stone pillar, actual waves of electricity keeping him incapacitated and sparking. I sent my protective Glamour into a radius of five feet in diameter around me, so that when Demetri and Felix lunged for me, as I knew they would, they both were shocked and sent flying backwards without so much as laying a finger on me.

Yeah, I was potent all right. Potent and pissed off.

Jane, who had been in mid-leap for me, was pulled back and restrained by a beautiful looking boy, with features so similar to her's that they had to have been twins. He was taller by several inches, though just as young, and wore the same colored dark charcoal cloak. His red eyes, the color of dark velvet roses, watched me in the same calculating manner that I watched him.

Caius had risen to his feet, shock evident on his granite, smug features, and even Marcus had deigned to blink in response to Aro's shocking discovery. I bit my lip to keep an untimely laugh from escaping, giddy from the heady rush of power I was experiencing. I focused, keeping myself grounded and alert.

The black haired vampire, who had nearly gone into a panic attack when her master had been sent through the air, knelt by him, yelping every time her fingers came into contact with him. For nearly five entire minutes she was unable to touch him, and it took some time more for Aro to clamber to his feet, nowhere near as graceful as he'd been.

He watched me now with a mixture of intolerant rage and irrepressible fascination, the two sides at complete war within him. I maintained my relaxed pose, being sure to keep up my electric Glamour and keeping tendrils fixed around the human woman in case I began to run low.

"You wanted information, right?" I asked, sarcasm dripping from my voice. "Well, here it is. You, Aro, and your little _pets_," I slurred, smirking when Jane had to be forcefully kept back by her brother once more, "have made enemies of the very wrong kind. Your experiments are going to end, and they're going to end _now_. You haven't dealt with anyone as powerful as me, and not only have you angered some very temperamental, _furry_, friends of mine," I noticed Caius go stock still at this, information I stored away for later, "but you've also made yourselves the prime target from the armies of the entire Fey race."

I noticed then that Marcus was looking at me, straight on, without wavering, and while his face revealed nothing, something had changed enough that he stood up, strolled over to Aro, (who was leaning on the female vampire like a crutch), pressed his fingertips to his brother's, and then took his seat once more, staring off into the distance.

Immediately, I did not like the look on Aro's face at whatever information Marcus had gleaned to him. For that matter, I didn't know what Marcus's power _was_ or what information that power could discover. Despite my internal wariness, however, I never broke my confident stare.

"I never realized it before, but now…"Aro said, his voice taking on a dreamy quality. "Oh, yes, now I can see it! How absolutely incredible! Of course, I should have realized it sooner, since we haven't seen such power in years! It's uncanny, really, how similar you are!"

I didn't want to give in to his taunts. I knew that I shouldn't, but I wasn't as cold as a pure-blooded Fey and my human curiosity got the better of me.

"Similar to whom?" I asked, my voice charged with electricity.

Aro's smile, once indulgent and gentle, turned into a cruel and manipulative sneer that betrayed his true inner character. "Why, your mother of course."

I knew that I shouldn't have asked. Just as he knew it would, Aro's words rocked me to my core, distracting me long enough that I lost hold on my Glamour, for a split second only. But a split second was all it took when dealing with a chamber of super-talented vampires.

Felix and Demetri were on me, restraining my arms behind my back until it bowed, forcing me to my knees until they bruised. Not wasting any time, Jane sent me such a glare of loathing that I almost begged to be killed first; I never got the chance before flames, worse than the ones before in intensity, consumed me, inside and out, until I was seeing red. Cut off from everything but that pain, I lost hold on what little magic I'd been able to collect, and I nearly cried.

The burning ceased and I found myself staring up into Aro's face, my head yanked back by Felix's grip on my hair.

"Yes, you are strong my dear," he placated, reaching out as if to smooth my hair. He didn't touch me, however, and that in itself was a consolation for me. He was afraid. "But you are young. I am curious as to how long you can withstand Jane without screaming…" he mused, and a trickling of pride crept in at the knowledge that I hadn't given in to the Volturi's sadistic pleasures yet. "Your mother didn't last a third trial by fire."

Black rage clouded my vision, and my amulet began to hum again. Hearing the hum, Aro's fingers deftly unzipped my coat, just enough to reveal the teardrop diamond, surrounded by the flawless sapphires and emeralds, blazing and pulsing with enough energy to cast a faint glow. Putting two and two together, he called for another member of the guard forward.

"Alonso, remove the necklace," he said, red eyes greedily drinking in the sight of the jewel and its obvious power.

The vampire, more than pleased to do as he was commanded, strode forward, fingers reaching for the amulet.

What happened next shocked even me.

The moment his fingers touched the jewel, not only did the necklace not budge from its place against my throat, but the vampire named Alonso's hand caught on fire, a crackling blue and green flame that quickly consumed his entire body and left him a pile of blackened ash, smoke rising in bitter tendrils from the heap, in a matter of seconds. Everyone stared in astonishment, including Marcus, whose mouth dropped open an inch wider.

Aro met my gaze then, and though I was surprised at the events, I couldn't say that I was entirely disappointed by the turn they had taken. His eyes flickered to Demetri, who stood behind my left shoulder, and I shrieked in a mixture of surprise and agony as my shin was broken clean, the same time that my right arm was forcefully pulled backwards until dislocated.

Tears ran down my cheeks as the throbbing began in earnest, and I collapsed forward, weakly supporting my weight on my left hand. Aro turned on his heel and took his seat back on the dais, staring at me as if he was debating how to proceed with me.

"Alec," he said, motioning to the boy who was Jane's brother. With a small bow he came forward, before his red velvet eyes locked onto mine.

I lost all sight and all sound. I lost all pain and became completely numb, as if every fiber of my being had been laced with Novocain. I couldn't tell how much time passed, if time passed at all, or any combination of the two. I couldn't even remember my name.

I was lost to the void of nothing.

**(oOoOoOoOoOo)**

**Seth's POV**

We landed in a small, private airport ten minutes outside of Volterra, Italy in record time, just about midnight. Edward, who had flown the aircraft, had arranged for two vehicles to be waiting for us, which he, Bella, Jasper and Alice would be taking into Volterra. The one vehicle, a fire engine red Lamborghini, would act as the four's way of getting back to the airport when this was all over. The other, less ostentatious car, a black BMW 535, would be the car that I would take back, with Lorelai. The six of us wolves would run to the city, taking a perimeter right outside the walls to garner any weaknesses or unexpected visitors. After Edward and Bella gave us the go ahead, we'd enter the city.

I'd been the only one to stay Phased while in the plane, so as I waited for the others, Bella took the opportunity to come over and talk to me. She was dressed in black jeans, leather boots, and a tight fitting motorcycle jacket that made her look like some badass biker's girlfriend. Her golden eyes, however, spoke volumes of sympathy that softened her entire countenance.

"We're going to get her back, Seth," she told me, her tone so sure that my ears immediately perked up. "We won't let them get away with this, not this time. That's my promise to you."

I touched the cold tip of my nose to her hand, huffing out a warm breath of acknowledgement, and she smiled, the way she'd always smiled at me. Like I was her younger brother who'd been teased in grade school, and she was my protector. Without Leah here, it was a nice feeling to have.

_Everyone good?_ Jake asked, his dark eyes sweeping over us. He nodded, and then turned to Edward.

"There's an old, historic church in the oldest part of the city," he said. "Apart from the sewers, which would be too narrow for you, the tunnels leading from the church crypts are the only way into the underground lair of the Volturi. It's how Heidi brings in unsuspecting humans for the Volturi and the Guard to feed on."

We all growled, disgusted. Jasper nodded. "She uses the church as part of the tour of Volterra that she gives, asking whether anyone would like to explore the tunnels. She's very, _persuasive_."

"It's midnight, which means no tours, so we should be in the clear," Edward continued, glancing up towards the dark sky. Hundreds of stars twinkled lightly, and the moon hung full and bright, directly over what seemed to be a stone fortress in the east. Volterra. "Nevertheless, we'll make sure that there aren't any Guard on watch before Bella calls you in. Any questions?"

We remained silent and ready. He nodded.

"To the east," Alice said, pointing to the direction and confirming my suspicions. "You won't miss it."

We all rustled in anticipation, and I could feel my claws extending into the tarmac, turning up gravel.

"We'll see you in a few minutes," Edward said, holding the Lamborghini's door open for Bella. Jasper did the same for Alice, except in the BMW, before sliding into the driver's seat. We waited for the cars to go speeding off into the country hills, the moon their only guiding light.

Jake turned to us, making eye contact with every wolf before taking off for the hills of vineyards. We fell into formation, with me at Jake's heels, Quil and Embry flanking us ahead and Jared and Paul flanking us from behind. We were silent and focused, the wind blowing through our fur and the warmth of Italy pushing us onward.

We came upon the stone walls quickly, and while we were still running at top speed, Jake issued out orders.

_Paul, Jared, Seth, take the northern side. Quil, Em and I will take the southern. Circle once than station out in even intervals until we surround it._

I veered off to the left, keeping my nose to the wind and my eyes and ears open for anything unusual. I felt rather than heard Jared and Paul behind me, doing the same thing. All we could detect was sleeping humans, and a disproportionate amount of vampires.

After circling once, I stationed myself at the northern gate, watching the buttresses and watch towers for any movement. Jake was at the southern gate, with Paul and Jared spread out along the east wall and Quil and Embry along the west.

_Everyone good? _Jake asked.

_Yup_, Quil and Embry replied in unison at the same time that Jared confirmed with a, _Yeah_, and Paul with an overenthusiastic, _Hell yeah!_

I kept silent, showing Jake the view that I had instead for confirmation. Nothing so far.

Five minutes later, there came a new voice, one that Jake, Quil, Em and I were expecting, but which Paul and Jared were not.

_Coast is clear, guys, _Bella said, her voice clear as day within our telepathic pack bond. I felt Jared and Paul's surprise, but they were hardened enough not to blow our cover. _Enter through the southern gate. The church will be on your right._

_Thanks, Bells_, Jake said, sending out the order for the pack to meet up with me.

_Since when can Bella speak to us? _Paul demanded, unease ruffling through his pelt.

_She can't, not really, _Jacob explained. My ears flickered when I saw the large red Alpha come barreling around the corner, a burly chocolate brown wolf hot on his heels. A gray wolf with black spots slid up alongside them the same time that a silver and a brown wolf arrived on my opposite side, eyes and ears alert. _She can push the shield from her mind and meld it with the telepathic bond for a few seconds to get a message across. It's new._

_A little heads up would've been nice, _Paul huffed indignantly, his tail thumping the ground once.

_Enough_, I snarled, garnering everyone's attention. _Let's move_.

Jacob took point, and we fell in line behind him, creeping up to the twenty foot tall wood and iron gate. The thinnest crack of light trickled through, and he used one massive paw to push it open, wide enough for us to slip silently through.

The church was nothing more than an ancient, stone chapel, its foundation crumbling despite its once majestic gothic spires. Stone steps led up to the heavy oak doors, embellished with an iron cross and two saint's statues standing guard. Lot of good they did.

Our claws clicked lightly on the stone as we climbed the steps, and we all got a good whiff of just how many vampires seemed to come and go. Paul was starting to see red, and my own teeth gnashed together at the thought of the loss of human lives that this church had not only witnessed, but aided. Each of our hackles rose up in response and a deep sense of evil clouded around us.

The door to the church had been left open, and we wasted no time in entering. Inside was just as simple, nothing but wooden pews leading up to a granite altar, the windows having been replaced many times within the church's existence. With six horse-sized wolves, there wasn't much room to maneuver. Edward, Bella, Alice and Jasper waited at the altar, and I could see Bella's relief cross her like a physical thing.

"The tunnels will lead us directly into the lobby that precedes the receiving chamber," Edward said, his voice too quiet for a human to pick up on, but perfectly fine for our sensitive hearing. "Alice and I disabled all of the surveillance cameras, so they won't have defensive force waiting for us. At most, there will be a single human secretary, whom Jasper will take care of."

_How, exactly? _Jacob asked wryly, eyeballing the blonde, whose face had been a stone cold mask since we landed.

"He's going to chloroform her," Edward answered. "The rest of us will wait in the tunnels. Jazz will head in, get her unconscious, and signal for us to move. When that time comes, we're going to have to move with a purpose, but not an outright charge."

I stifled the irritated growl that hovered in my throat and felt Paul do the same.

"We'll lead the procession," Bella continued, her voice strong and steady, eerily similar to the way it had been when we'd faced the Volturi six years earlier. It was steely and broke no tone of disagreement. Here was the ruthless Bella we'd all been witness too. "Form a horseshoe around us, Jake and Seth behind Alice and me. They'll flee when we first enter, so don't attack." She paused, and a merciless grin spread across her face, utterly terrifying. "Unless they attack you first."

A contented growl rippled through the pack bond, but we remained silent. Jake nodded.

"Let's move," Jasper said, leading the way around the altar and through the doors that led to the church's crypts. Like wraiths in the night, we made our way through the underground tunnels, the burning stench of hostile, foreign vampires clogging our noses and sending our fight response into overdrive. Jake had made the right move, not letting any of the younger wolves join this mission. They would've lost it the minute we'd entered Volterra.

The tunnels were narrow, but manageable, and soon we came to another doorway. Alice and Jasper paused, and only when the tiny pixie nodded severely did Jasper remove the white cloth from his jacket pocket and dart through the door like a bullet. All was silent, and the only thing that could be heard were the simultaneous beating of the pack's hearts. Then, a sliver of light illuminated the dark, dank tunnel, and Jasper's blonde hair came through, holding the door open wide enough for us to hurry in.

Whereas the church, and everything in Volterra so far, had been ancient and seemingly made from stone, the Volturi's lobby was modern and held all the trappings of modern day society. Several suede and leather couches formed a sitting area, complete with a flat screen monitor, and a currently slumbering Italian woman, dressed in slim black slacks and matching blazer, her hair almost as dark as Quil's fur, and who was knocked out on the couch. The marble reception desk had an in sleep-mode Apple monitor and a large oil canvas of the city that was dated back in the seventeenth century. A marble and gold leafed plaque declaring the name Pia Bernoulli gave us the identity of the sleeping secretary.

Edward pointed to the tunnel we were to take next, this one slightly larger but which held an even darker energy than the ones before. We created a formation, Quil and Embry on the outside of Jasper and Edward, respectively, Alice and Bella besides their husbands (forming a single line between the six of them), Paul and Jared following, ready to branch out as soon as possible, and Jake and me following Alice and Bella as close as we could.

We rounded the bend, and there came the largest doors yet, nearly thirty feet tall, and inlaid with heavy iron. We paused, catching our breath, and I felt my muscles coil into tight springs. The growl I'd been suppressing was about to come out in a raucous, ferocious snarl the likes of which I'd never been capable of creating before. I'd always been the fun, sunny Seth, quick to smile and laugh in a pack of hot-heads.

That was before. Before they took Lorelai. Before this oil slick of black, burning rage had made me into the deadly predator my ancestors had intended me to be.

On Alice's nod, Jasper and Edward shoved the ancient doors open with a yawning groan, opening up the view of the Volturi, and most of their Guard, gathering at what seemed like an evening soiree amongst them.

The minute the vampires had come into Our view, Wolf and I released a snarling that was so beastlike that it ricocheted off of the walls of the antechamber, elevating the sound so that it sounded as if the entirety of the two packs had come with murder their intent.

It was a growl that was soon echoed by my five brothers, who leapt into the room just as planned, causing at least a dozen or so shocked, red-eyed vampires to go flying back towards the raised, marble dais where their leaders lounged, into a single slice of the large chamber. We kept to the perimeter, Jake and I by the doors, our eyes never leaving the group of surprised vamps, leaving Jasper, Alice, Bella and Edward in the direct center of attention.

_Hold_. Jacob's command cut off our snarling, and silence descended on the room. Just as suddenly as our appearance had occurred, in a matter of seconds the Guard reacted, flying into a protective formation in front of Aro, Marcus and Caius, with the tiny witch-twins, Jane and Alec, taking point.

The three co-rulers were now standing, and while Marcus maintained his cool and composed expression, Caius's was a mixture of fear, loathing and infuriated rage. Paul, remembering that it was Caius who was truly the most afraid of werewolves and shifters alike, snapped his jaws at the white-haired vamp, and a chorus of vampire hisses took to the air in answer.

_Hold_. Jacob repeated, this time with the force of an Alpha command.

Aro merely looked incredulous, and then as he recognized who it was exactly that was standing in front of him, a slow, delighted smile took his face.

"My, my, what a most excellent surprise!" he exclaimed, causing Caius to sputter unintelligibly and the Guard to silence their hissing. "Edward! Bella! Alice," he said, his cold red eyes lingering on the tiny vampire for longer than was comfortable. "To what do I owe this honor of receiving your company?"

"Aro, can you not see this blatant act of war against us?" Caius hissed, glancing at each wolf with contempt and revulsion.

"A means of gaining your attention, I assure you, Caius," Edward replied, slipping into the role of visiting dignitary with the same ease and expertise that Aro had portrayed as gracious, expectant host.

Meanwhile, Jane and Bella were having a severe staring contest, and from the relaxed, almost smug set of Bella's shoulders, and from the way that Jane had to be kept restrained by her brother, Alec, I guessed that Bella's shield was still immune to Jane's burning power.

Almost echoing my thoughts, Bella surprised me when she clearly taunted Jane, whereas before, Bella had been almost timid and silent in her confrontations. "You can go ahead and keep trying, Jane, but you won't find a weakness here."

Jane shrieked in fury, leaping for Bella's throat at the same time that Edward stepped in front of his wife and Jake moved up, front and center, lips curled back over fangs that would neatly rip the little vampire's head off. Alec, anticipating his sister's reaction, neatly wrapped his arms around her chest, anchoring her to his side before any bloodshed could happen, though he sent a cold, calculating glare towards Bella as well.

"_La Bella Principessa_," Aro chimed in admiring, lilting Italian, praising Bella in a way that neither she, nor Edward, appreciated. "I see that you've really come into your immortality. I always knew you'd be a promising one, and I am most pleased to be proven correct."

"We've come for one purpose, and one alone," Edward said, focusing the ancient vampire's attention on himself instead of his wife. "The wolves are here because you have done a great crime against them. We are here only as mediators."

That was the cover story we'd all discussed and agreed upon while on the flight over here. Make it seem that the impenetrable forces of the packs had only been swayed from annihilating the Volturi because of the Cullens' interference. It would make them pause, which would afford us much needed time.

Aro's eyebrows shot up over his eyes, clearly surprised. "I am most certain I have no idea of what crime it is that we've committed against the shifters."

Edward nodded, as if sympathizing and understanding. He stepped forward, offering his hand for Aro to take. Everyone tensed in anticipation.

Aro, I'd been told, could never resist the draw of new information, but for some reason, he looked at Edward's extended palm with a hesitancy that had never been there before. Was he _afraid_ to touch Edward's hand?

Several seconds passed before Aro overruled his fear, gliding down the steps towards Edward with a purpose. Renata, the physical shield, followed closely behind, eyeing us wolves distrustfully. I kept Wolf from snapping at her.

I knew the minute that Bella stopped protecting Edward's mind by the way she tensed up, watching Jane and Alec for any sign that they might attack on their own. She held Alice's tiny hand in her own, waiting for a squeeze in case Alice saw something and she needed to throw her shield to Edward at the last second. I shifted my weight on my paws, focused intently on Aro and Edward's silent communication.

An entire minute passed before they straightened up, and Edward stepped back into line beside Bella, who now allowed him into the rest of the plan involving the Fey. Edward, ever the master poker player, never let any knowledge show on his face.

"It would seem, brothers," Aro said thoughtfully, looking at the wolves in a seemingly new light. "That much like we each have our own intended mates," he nodded towards Bella and Edward, and Alice and Jasper, "so do the wolves. And they believe that we have stolen one of them."

Everyone waited, watching Aro, when Wolf caught my attention.

_Look, look!_

Right in between Bella and Alice was Lorelai's blue scent trail, shimmering faintly. I crept forward, nearly rubbing my belly on the ground, eyes on the prize, until my nose touched the scent, and a wave of jasmine, pear and vanilla washed over me like a wave. I nearly howled in relief, but then came the second wave, this time of her emotions.

_Seth, what are you-?_ Jake interrupted, his attention split between the musing Aro and me, who looked bizarre creeping low to the ground, like a dog about to beg for forgiveness.

Pain. An excruciating, fiery pain the likes of which I'd never seen nor felt before. Fear. And finally, loathing, a rage so intense it nearly matched my own, but was different from the sparks of electricity I felt like static through my pelt. Then, more pain, this time physical.

Lorelai had been here, and she had been tortured.

"I regret to inform you that neither I, nor my brothers, know of this wolf-mate which you seek," Aro said, blatantly lying without any remorse or hesitation.

I lunged between Bella and Alice, snapping my jaws at Aro, who stumbled back in surprise over Renata, who squealed in terror. A deep rumbling growl echoed as I stared down at the vampire, so close that my fangs were reflected in his milky red eyes. None of the vampires moved, because Paul and Jared had closed in on them, preventing any retaliation. That, and I suspected that they feared what I would do to their leader if they moved against me.

"You're lying, Aro," Edward said calmly. "Not only have I seen her in your thoughts, but I've also seen her in Caius, Marcus, Jane, Alec and Renata's as well. And you would do well not to lie about her when her mate has you at his mercy."

**It's on! So, what are your thoughts? Comments, questions, concerns? Please review! XOXO**


	21. Escape

**I'm sorry! This chapter was giving me some difficulty, and I went through a rearranging process! **

**Chapter Twenty-One**

I shifted, clenching down on my teeth hard enough to make my jaw bones ache, and preventing even the tiniest sound or breath of pain from escaping my dried and cracked lips. Bracing myself with a shuddering inhalation, I flipped to my back, the frigid, hard stone cooling the sizzling burn of pain shooting through my dislocated shoulder and broken shin. A thin sheen of sweat coated my skin, and flashes of light burst across my closed eyes as I fought to stay conscious.

I had woken up in this dungeon for what seemed like hours ago, thrown in a heap so that when Alec lifted his numbing gift (or curse, depending on the point of view), I had been awash in flaming agony, similar to the blazes that Jane had subjected me to. The difference had been that this wasn't a projection in my mind; the anguish was very much real.

Physically weakened, I realized that the magic I'd stored in my amulet had leaked back to its original source in my unconscious state, and I felt a cloud of despair come over me like a tangible thing. I had been working at slowly untangling my battered limbs until I came to a flattened position, on my back, for these last few hours, grunting and swearing inside my mind all the while. And for what? To just lie here, a broken doll, at the mercy of those egotistical sons-of-bitches?

I pushed the dark cloud away from me, determined that I heal and fight back. I was no damsel in distress, and I had power; my display in the antechamber had been proof enough of that. Now, I just needed to be put in another position to use it.

Sending out my Glamour, which had somehow survived the brutal ambush of Jane and Alec's unique brand of torture, I searched the darkened cell for any other source of life. It was too dark for me to see anything that wasn't right in front of my face, and I huffed out a breath of frustration when I found nothing. Instead, I searched for the source of human life I'd drawn on before, surprised when I had to go through several more layers of underground stone before finding her once more. I was at least a mile underground.

The spark was just as bright as before, and it drew me to its warmth, its magic and power. Carefully siphoning the human's vigor, I first filled my amulet back to its capacity, sighing when it warmed comfortingly against my chest. I had no idea what had happened back in the chamber, but I was glad that nobody would be able to forcefully take it away from me. It gave me courage.

It gave me hope.

Focusing back to the task at hand, I pulled more of the magic to me, preparing myself for the healing process. My dislocation healed first, with a daggering pop that had me gasping in surprise. After it was back in place, my Glamour numbed the ache, moving on to heal my minor cuts, scrapes and bruises before traveling to the worst of my injuries. I knew, from my magic's initial analysis, that my leg, from the knee to my ankle, was shattered in a way that would take an emergency surgery, hundreds of metal plates and pins, and possibly ten or more months of solid bed rest for it to be adequately healed.

I fisted my hand into my mouth, bracing for the pain.

My Glamour surged into the injury, remolding the tiny pieces of bone back together like a metal welder. A sharp splice shot up the nerves of my leg every time a piece was reformed, and I bit into my knuckles, the hot, metallic taste of blood distracting me momentarily. When the bone was healed, my Glamour then began the unending process of reattaching tendons and sinew, which had been snapped in the breaking process. I could feel them being pulled and stretched, and I felt as if I had been strapped to a medieval stretching device devised for acute torture.

After perhaps the longest two minutes of my life, my Glamour numbed my body, like a large shot of Novacaine. I spat the blood from my mouth, smiling humorlessly when the puncture marks on my knuckles immediately healed. My senses heightened, I pushed myself to a sitting position, flexing my arms and joints in a test for strength. Who needed 21st century medical marvels when Glamour existed?

I couldn't see in front of my nose, the dungeon was so encased in darkness. I panicked for a moment, memories of being forced in Alec's abyss, unaware of where or who I was, flooding back into my mind. I couldn't go back to that limbo. I wouldn't survive it. The air around me grew thick, as if centuries of death, rot and decay were rising up to close my air passages. Permanently. I leaned forward, cradling my head in my hands, my fingers digging into my scalp in an effort to pull myself out of this hyperventilation. Stars blinked in front of my shut eyes, and my head began to swim. My amulet pulsed hot against my skin, my Glamour going into overdrive to try and solve the ailment that afflicted me now. I needed to find something to pull me out of this, and fast, but I had no idea what.

_I love you_.

My head snapped back at the gentle clearness of Seth's voice in my head. Suddenly, I was transported back to the night of Elijah and Delilah's birth. I was in Seth's bedroom, his warm, strong arms around me, anchoring me to him like I was a ship searching for a safe harbor. His eyes, chocolate brown with flecks of amber and gold, stared deeply into mine as he whispered the three words that every woman wished to hear from her love and her life.

_I love you_.

Seth wouldn't just allow me to disappear from his life. I knew that, deep in my gut, he would come for me. And until he got here, I needed to keep up some self-preservation. I was not weak. I was strong, strong enough to handle a shape-shifting werewolf as a lover and boyfriend.

I was also the descendant of Fey nobility, capable of power that even the Vampire royalty feared. I needed to prove to them that I, and my people, were not helpless creatures, easy to pick off and feed as if we were their specially made heroin. I owed it to myself, to Seth, to Cahir and Sansai. To Rachel and Emily. To my father, Bri and Noelle. To my mother. And it needed to start with my escaping of this dungeon.

Somewhere down the line of thinking of Seth, of his unwavering confidence in me, my panic attack had ceased, turning instead to cold, driven purpose.

Now that I was healed, I needed to get out of here. I still was dressed in my running clothes, which would prove optimal in a race against vampires, but first, I needed to locate the door. I sent my Glamour out in a radius, rolling to my feet with more grace than I should have had. When my readings came back blank, I did the only thing I could.

I looked up.

"Shit."

Of course, this palace had been built back in centuries where dungeons were a commonality. I'd visited many an _oubliette_ before, but usually looking down from the hatch. Never from the bottom looking up. A cursory feel of my palms against the smooth stone wall told me that there would be no hand holds for even a difficult climb, nor was there any ladder or rope. Not that vampires would need such things to get in and out, but it definitely threw a wrench into my escape plans.

It was a miracle that I had still been alive, I realized. I had sustained the injuries inflicted on me in the chamber, nothing more. I wasn't tossed in here like a lifeless sack of potatoes from the opening. Aro valued me enough to have his disciples carry me to the bottom before dumping me in a heap and leaving. I knew that much.

After pacing like a caged animal, my eyesight adjusted enough to catch the light filtering in through the bars of an iron grate, and my freedom. I was at least half a mile below that grate, making a jump nearly impossible. Not to mention that there was no plausible way to get the grate lifted, should I latch myself onto it. And even should I get the grate open, and myself out of this massive hole in the ground, who knew what kind of security I'd find. It was improbable. It was inconceivable. It was impossible.

A grim smile spread my lips, and I felt a calculating darkness fill my mind. A strange coldness that deflected fear, concern and doubt and instead replaced it with confidence, determination, and bloodlust flooded through my veins, turning my blood icy. My eyesight sharpened imperceptibly, my skin became more sensitive to any fluctuation in temperature, and when I pressed my fingertips to the strange tingling of my ears, I found them pointed and leaf-shaped.

My Fey side was coming out, and taking control.

I tilted my head to an angle, narrowing in on the two bars my hands would grasp with all surety. It was as if thousands of years' experience flooded through my mind and my limbs, and without a second thought, I took hold of my Glamour, imagining the force of it piling into my legs, coiling into a spring that would rocket me up. I flexed my fingers in anticipation, bending my knees as a light breeze of my own making blew back the strands of my hair. I breathed deeply, categorizing the stale air and decades' old blood and decay to the back of my mind as Things I Did Not Want To Know.

As I exhaled, I launched myself into the air, the power of ten trampolines in my legs, the stone walls of the _oubliette_ speeding past in a whir of darkness and smooth stone. I reached my hands above my head, feeling my velocity slow just enough so that when I grabbed hold of the grate's bars, I didn't go barreling through it. My feet dangling beneath me, and a good half mile to the hard, stone bottom, I worked nimbly, sending tendrils of my Glamour into the rusted iron lock, bracing myself for the moment when my sharp hearing caught the whining click of success.

As if watching through slow motion, I calculated the velocity of the grate as it swung inward, scrambling to the opposite side of the grate so that when it clanged loudly against the stone wall of the dungeon, I was not squashed between it. My newfound Fey agility allowed me to use the grate as a makeshift ladder, and I soon found myself out of the hole, my eyes adjusting to the burst of filmy electric light from the few lit sconces.

I remained crouched on the balls of my feet, catching the glimpses of at least thirty more hatches that led to similar prison cells. My Fey side called for me to spirit away from this place, to get out into the open and gather more strength. But my humanity desired for me to know if there were any other prisoners kept here, and if they were alive.

I sent my Glamour out, searching for any sign of life or walking-death, being sure to send feelers down into the _oubliettes_ themselves. When nothing came back, I nodded, my flawless sense of direction telling me that straight ahead was a long forgotten passage leading to a series of underground tunnels and eventually outside. I gathered my Glamour to me, making myself swift of foot, silent and invisible to any prying eyes. My amulet flared once in anticipation, and then, I ran.

I kept my Glamour ahead, searching for any disturbances as I sprinted through the forked passages, thankful that I wouldn't get confused by the deliberately disorientating underground. My lungs barely stretched, and my legs felt a new freedom that hadn't been there before. As I rounded the final bend, I could practically taste the freedom I would soon have.

It was a dead end.

I came up short, black rage narrowing my vision into two tunnels. Why had my Glamour led me to a dead end? I didn't understand.

I walked forward, raising a palm and laying it flat against the stone wall, the coolness shocking to my sensitive skin. I closed my eyes, pressing it more firmly against the grooves and ridges, ignoring the prick that told me my skin had been pierced.

Then, a warm pulsating. Where my blood mingled with stone it began to steam like acid, and a strange ringing sounded in my ears. My eyes flew open, satisfaction making a dark grin bare my teeth to the dim lighting. This wasn't a dead end. It was a forgotten, _unfinished_, passageway. Where the rest of this underground Hell was encased in a protective lawyer of first bronze, then iron and finally cement, incapable of allowing natural magic to penetrate, no such measures had been taken here. This was just stone. And beyond it, lay cool, _natural_ earth.

I stepped back, keeping my hands extended in front of me, wrists flexed as if I were miming their placement upon the wall. I inhaled deeply, feeling my Glamour spark in excitement at the promise of nature. As I exhaled, I pulled my hands apart, until my arms formed a cross, watching as the tunnel began to quake and tremble. Distantly, I heard an alarm sound off, and I put a time limit on myself before I needed to worry about the sentries. The stone wall pulled apart, snapping off bits of brick and glass as I forced the tunnel to widen.

Beyond the stone was earth, and it parted easily, eagerly for me, and I smiled as I sculpted my own tunnel, leading up to the surface. A wash of fresh air swept through the passage, and I breathed it in greedily, letting go of the human's magic as nature invigorated my Glamour instead. My keen eyesight caught the pearlescent light of the moon, and in a flash, I was gone.

**Cahir's POV**

My eyes lingered on the masses of His Majesty's army. An impressive force of nearly two thousand _laoch-sidhe _and _caomhnóir_, they were all dressed for battle. Several, including the _bean-sidhe_ Sansai, polished her blades with a cold gleam that I recognized as bloodlust and a desire for vengeance. I could relate, and when her two colored eyes flashed up to meet mine, I nodded once, acknowledging my own need for revenge.

Several of the more powerful noble Fey had also joined, as generals and the like, determined to gain back what power and prestige had been lost in the last century or so. Not to mention, rescuing the heir to the Fey throne would raise them in the eyes of the King, and the future Queen.

For centuries they'd been searching for the source of their troubles, and finally, in the forests of the Italian countryside, they had arrived. Now in joint operation with the Natives, their victory would be established, their power cemented and never again would a Fey man, woman or child fear the ghost stories of the blood sucking demons which walked this earth.

My leather armor, reinforced with Glamour and _muileata_, the unique jewel-like ore that only could be cultivated by Fey magic, clung to my body like a second skin. My twin swords, _tine_ and _oighear_, made of the same material and engraved in Gaelic runes, were sheathed and hung criss-cross on my back. An additional dagger hung from my belt, with several throwing stars, Glamoured for optimum accuracy and harm, located in strategic pouches on my person. My boots were laced, my knuckles wrapped in linen soaked in ivy and jasmine, to aid my accelerated healing processes, each of my charmed rings in place on my fingers. My own pendant, a roughly hewn amethyst set in white gold, flared once against my chest, still desperately trying to find an accurate location on Lorelai.

Frustrated with waiting, I marched through the ranks of preparing Fey, searching for the one person who could possibly be as anxious, if not more so, for this to happen, than myself. I rounded a hill, following the quieting of the trees to the small glade below. As a race, we possessed a cold anticipation and joy for warfare, which had made us the terrors of nightmares centuries past. And though we did not give in to aimless frivolity, in the times before war, most _laoch-sidhe_ preferred to spend it with comrades and friendly rivals.

But in the years that I'd known the great General and _caomhnóir_, Lachlan _Doirteadh Fola_, 'Bloodshedder', I'd never once seen him gather with his Fey brethren and join in the festivities. He preferred to be by himself, sharpening his blades into the sharpest points possible.

Lachlan was one of the largest Fey I'd ever encountered, nearing seven feet of impossible brawn that rivaled that of the human's fake wrestling pros or sports athletes. White scars joined the intricate black, navy and hunter green of his markings, seen through the unique black leather and _muileata_ armor he used. A thick cord of silver held his stone pendant, never seen by anyone but Lachlan for as long as I'd existed. He kept his coal black hair in the traditional style, shoulder length, two braids intricately weaved at the temples joining as one down the center, his ears stark against the style. Rings, similar to my own, decorated his fingers, as did bracelets and metal earrings lining his ears. I watched as he stood silently, and I met the older Fey's colorless eyes with my own.

"Cahir," he greeted, his voice deep, dark and hoarse. I nodded, bowing in respect.

I'd never forget the look in his clear eyes when I'd burst into the presence chamber of His Majesty, closely followed by Sansai, the information of the Princess Infante's kidnapping racing through my lips, swiftly trailed by the information that we finally knew who and where our people had been taken all these years. Lachlan had stood, sheathed his blades, and walked out of the chamber. Not even a half hour later, an army had been assembled, with Lachlan and I as joint Commanders.

"We have the most to lose, and to gain," he'd told me. "We lead them."

Back in the present, I said nothing, knowing that everything I could say had already crossed his mind. In this situation, we were one and the same.

"We will get them back," I said, the Ancient Language causing the trees to tremble in anticipation.

"Or die trying." Lachlan extended his arm, and I grasped it, hand to elbow in a loud clap, our individual magic's colliding as our twin purposes joined. Then we began the walk back to the forces, to await the signal of the Natives.

We reached the opening of the forest, the clear night sky providing plenty of light for our Fey eyesight to spy the vampire city of Volterra below. I felt Sansai join us, standing on my left side, her white hair braided back severely.

The wind rustled, and the three of us turned our attention simultaneously to the sentry, who was leaping from branch to branch before coming to land in front of us. He fisted his hand over his heart, bowing, and on my nod, spoke.

"Commanders, there's a disturbance coming from the Eastern hills, entering the forrest at a high velocity."

"Vampires?" Lachlan asked, his face cold and emotionless. The sentry shook his head, his sage green eyes worried.

"We don't know what it is."

I raised a fist into the air, calling twenty more _laoch-sidhe_ to join Sansai, Lachlan and myself as we hurried to the Eastern perimeter. We extended our Glamour into the forest, connecting with the network, and were surprised that we couldn't find the disturbance. Lachlan glanced at me with unease, slowly pulling his broadsword from its sheath. Sansai pulled an arrow to her bow, eyes keen.

We waited, listening, watching, and then we heard it. The briefest, tiniest crack of a bough swaying beneath unaccustomed weight, located in the tall tree directly behind us. We whirled around, and Sansai let the arrow fly, true and straight.

The creature crouching on the bough picked the arrow neatly out of the air with its fingertips, the arrowhead an inch from piercing its heart. With a dark, melodic chuckle, it threw the arrow back, accurately planting it in the ground between Sansai's feet. The creature swung, tucking into a somersault before landing on its feet, throwing back its wild mane of raven black-blue hair.

"You're off your game, Sansai."

I stared in amazement at Lorelai, who appeared more Fey than any one of us at this moment. Her ears had developed, her hair was tangled and gloriously windswept, her eyes glowed blue and green with the power of her Glamour, which pulsed like an aura around her. She was sharper, more honed.

She'd finally tapped into her full potential.

"But, no matter," she said, moving with a regal grace that came so naturally to her, I felt myself dropping to one knee just by the force of it. The others beside me did the same, as we looked up to our Princess in awe. Here was what the Ancients must have been like in the Old Days; I felt like I imagined Arthur had felt when he'd been introduced to the Lady of the Lake. She was completely free, the chaos of nature confined within a single living entity. Her movements, as graceful and silent as a prima ballerina, were tinged with feral intelligence that made me question whether any of her humanity had survived the transition at all. It was breathtaking.

"I'm more than ready to take down these parasites. Are you?"

**Lorelai POV**

It was amazing how much my Fey side could pick up when it held the reins; whereas before, it was a process for me to connect with the natural world and access my Glamour, now it felt as if the Earth's magic was simply there, awaiting my command. I didn't have to think; I just _lived_. Had Demetri and Felix come upon me now, they would've never stood a chance.

I watched as the twenty three Fey stood up, subtle looks of awe crossing the soldiers' faces as they saw me for the first time. Sansai was emotionless, and apart from the wry raising of her eyebrow she shot me when she retrieved her arrow, I knew she was relieved that I was unharmed.

Cahir, dressed for battle it seemed, couldn't seem to find his tongue. His violet eyes kept flitting from my unscathed body, to my hair (which must have looked like a rat's nest after all of my running), to my fully Fey ears. I couldn't decide whether he was going to pass out, or drop to his knee again.

"How did you…?" he began, his Scottish brogue deep with emotion. I gentled my haughty demeanor, allowing some of my human side to penetrate the cold, Fey exterior.

"Escape?" I finished, waiting for his nod. "I had to open myself up. I had to find a reason. And I did."

I knew that he wanted more details; the gleam of bloodlust in Sansai's gaze told me that she wanted an entire recap of every torture I'd been through, so that she could exact vengeance on my behalf. But at this moment, I couldn't handle it. I turned instead to the massive Fey Guardian (if his tattoos were to be believed), who'd revealed not a single emotion, excepting for the widening of his clear eyes. They were disconcerting to say the least.

Cahir looked beside him, suddenly realizing that he hadn't introduced the enormous warrior. "_Banphrionsa_, this is…"

"_Lachlan Doirteadh Fola, mo Máthar caomhnóir_," I said, the Ancient Gaelic tripping off of my tongue as easily as French or English had. Lachlan snapped to, fisting his hand over his heart and bowing so low his nose nearly graze the ground.

"_Banphrionsa __Aoibhin_," he replied, his timber deep enough to make the ground shudder. When he stood up, I was shocked by the amount of grief I saw in his eyes. More suffering than I ever knew a being was capable of shone back at me. My amulet warmed, and a scene flashed before my eyes, lasting only a few precious seconds.

_A man, Fey by the looks of him, knelt in front of a clear, glassy lake I recognized from the Summer Realm of Avalon. He was covered in some kind of silver leather, which glinted in the waning sunlight like armor. His swords, drenched in blood that had dried black, were displayed in front of him, nearing the water's edge. His body was wracked with silent sobs, which tore through my heart more so than if I'd heard them out loud. I could feel his Glamour, soaked with guilt and despair, unable to cope._

_The clouds overhead turned dark and dismal, the smell of ozone signaling a summer rainstorm on the way. And there, in the center of the lake, was a rippling. It started small, in tight, concentric circles, but grew larger and larger, until the entire lake was swelling. I watched in awe as a bright light, more brilliant than looking directly at the sun, blinded the area. When my vision regained, there, standing in the middle of the lake, was a woman._

_She was elegant and regally tall, her skin pale as moonlight and her hair the color of the midnight sky, extending down her back and to her calves, beads of jewels and stones intricately woven throughout. She wore a Medieval bliaut, the sharp v-neck cutting down to her navel to expose the chains of diamond she wore around her swanlike throat. The dress was form fitting, and made of a material not of this world; it shimmered and flowed, as if it was water made into fabric, down her slender form. She was barefoot, but her hands, wrists, feet and ankles were draped in the same diamond chains as the ropes of necklaces. Her face was all sharp planes, except for her generous mouth, which was the color of dusk rose. Her ears made her Fey, and the upward tilt of her lake blue eyes gave her an air of warmth that balanced her otherwise intimidating qualities. A tiara sat upon her head, the source of that brilliant light from her arrival._

_The Fey knight still trembled, unaware of the beautiful Fey lady as she glided across the surface of the lake, coming to stand in front of him without so much as a sound. The knight was speaking Gaelic, and his words of sorrow speared me._

"_I have failed you. My duty is lost. My honor gone. I can never repay the kindness thou has bestowed upon me."_

"_You have not failed me, Warrior," the woman spoke, her gentle voice as soothing as the lake's waves upon the shore. Unending love shone in her eyes, though it wasn't romantic. "You have never failed me."_

_A soft, understanding smile spread her lips, revealing two rows of straight, white teeth, and she extended her hands forward, her right laying flush against the knight's forehead, the left on his right pectoral, directly above his heart. The light in her tiara flared, and the water of the lake began to spray up into the sky, crystal droplets sprinkling above the two Fey. Her palms began to glow, and her eyes closed. Then, with a flash of light, they were gone._

I blinked, looking once more at the small battalion of Fey surrounding me. A strange humming filled my ears and my amulet joined in, vibrating gently against my skin. When I turned back to Lachlan, I watched as he collapsed to his knees, his broadsword dropping from his grip to the ground. His eyes, colorless and clear as water, shone at me; kneeling, he was still eye level with my tiny height. The Glamour pulsing around me, however, made me feel like a giantess, looking down on the world.

I slowly approached him, oblivious to the awed silence suffocating the glen around me. I watched as Sansai asked Cahir what I was doing. He didn't replied, just watched my every movement like a hawk.

I was led simply by instinct. The Lady of the Lake had shown me a ritual, a rite, that every Mistress or Master had the power to bestow upon their Guardians. It was a rite of absolution, of forgiveness and a renewing of faith in that Guardians strengths, abilities and loyalty. And although Lachlan was my mother's Guardian, and not mine, I was in the unique position of not only being a powerful Princess, but his Mistress's blood daughter.

Lachlan had been grieving for over two decades, living with his guilt and blame like a haunting specter as he searched tirelessly for my mother. Time and time again he had failed to locate her, and he blamed himself, punished himself, physically and mentally. I had the power to end this suffering, to give him a clean slate and a renewed sense of purpose.

A gentle breeze began to blow around me, droplets of dew and of soft Italian rain showering down like cool kisses, the trees bowed around us, and though it was night, heat, like the flames of a campfire, warmed the glen. My Glamour and magic was manifesting itself into its power; and my power, apparently, was the four elements, in tandem.

I approached steadily, extending my hands forward, watching as a brilliant light emanated first from my amulet, and then from the palms of my hands. When I stood directly in front of Lachlan, I placed my right palm on his forehead and my left directly over his heart, like the Lady had. Lachlan's eyes closed of their own accord, and my own followed, Ancient words I had never learned before flowing through my lips like water over a cliff.

"_Preaseisiúint mé tú. Creidim i duit. I shaorann tú. Maithim duit_."

_I release you. I believe in you. I absolve you. I forgive you._

I felt my Glamour surge, the wind whipping up into a funnel of leaves and summer blossoms; the water opened up like a shower, drenching the glen but never touching Lachlan or myself; the trees swayed and earth rumbled below our feet; flashes of lightning brightened the sky as dry heat licked my cheeks. I felt _everything_ that Lachlan had felt, and cried out, echoing his pain. And when I had been baptized in it, I sent my own magic, pure and whole, into his mind and his heart, cleansing that pain, and my own.

It took a maximum of five minutes, and when I finished, I felt out of breath. The elements quieted to their normal state, and though I felt drained, I did not feel tired. I held my weight, dropping my hands to my sides, and watched as Lachlan opened his brilliant, clear eyes, a new man. He rose to his full height, towering over me, but there was the slightest change to the way he set his shoulders that indicated I had done a lot more than I realized.

There was nothing left to be said between us, and I took the time to turn back to Sansai and Cahir, whose combined mixtures of surprise and confusion made my stomach do flips. "So," I said, pulling on my Glamour and tasting ozone on my tongue. "Where do we start?"

**Review, review, review! XOXO**


	22. Chaos

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

"And we're sure that this can kill a vampire?" I asked, examining the blade I held in my hand. The handle was made of dragon skin, tough enough to withstand heat and metal, yet soft enough that it formed to the owner's palm like a mold. The blade was easily longer than my arm, sharp and wickedly curved and made out of a black glass-like stone that was lighter than any other weapon created. It was also supposedly deadly towards vampires.

"Yes, _banphrionsa_," Lachlan said, inclining his head. "This is _muileata_, or dragon-glass. It's sharper than steel or bronze, stronger than diamond and lighter than a feather. It is our best defense, apart from Glamour."

"How so?"

Sansai smiled, a quirk of lips and a glint in her eyes. "Each blade is first created from the ore of _muileata_, and then forged in the fires of a dragon's breath, which gives the weapon a certain magic of its own. Each Fey in your army is equipped with a blade, or dagger, or bow and arrows made of dragon-glass, forged in the dragon's fire of their season, which makes them more potent."

"So a Summer Fey…?" I trailed off, handing the sword back to Lachlan, handle first.

"Would have a weapon made by the Dragon of Summer, yes," Cahir finished, nodding gently. I smiled, feeling my Fey blood churn in anticipation.

"Excellent."

"That's not all, Princess," Sansai said, and the look on her face caught my eye. What once would have worried me, now made me excited. I tried to lock it down, to find more of my humanity, but amongst my people, it was proving difficult. The _laoch-sidhe_ whistled like a sparrow, and four of our burliest warriors came through the camp, dragging two figures with them. My amulet warmed, and I sucked in the air through my teeth like a hiss. They were vampires, and they wore the dark charcoal cloaks of the lesser Volturi guard. I looked to Cahir, worry plain on my face.

"They've been subdued by Glamour. They can do nothing," he reassured me confidently. I nodded, turning my attention back to the two, now kneeling vampires. When I reached out with my own magic, I encountered a massive amount of Glamour, a mixture of hot Summer, crisp Autumn, frigid Winter and fresh Spring, each flooding into the vampires like a noxious gas, completely crippling them. The pure amount of life and magic had totally incapacitated them.

And by them, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the two vampires kneeling at my feet were none other than Felix and Demetri. My Fey side forced the corners of my lips to curl up, and I curled my fingers around the armrests of the makeshift throne which had been constructed for me. I had futilely argued against the seat of power, but between Cahir, Sansai and now Lachlan, I wearied from the argument. Now, I was grateful for display it put me on.

"Well, what do we have here?" I asked, my human side distantly alarmed at the soft purr my voice became. I inhaled, embracing the warm amulet at my chest, absorbing all of the natural energy surrounding me. Every cell of my body practically vibrated with the hum of potency. "I believe it is the two vampires who had decided to kidnap me and torture me."

Around us, a thousand plus hisses and growls took to the air, more musical and ethereal than either the vampires or wolves could ever be. The Glamour around me pulsed, angry and violent, and the eyes of my people glowed furiously. The sound of unsheathing blades joined the chorus, and I smirked at the true show of fear shining in the blood red eyes below me.

I rose up out of the chair, fluid like a waterfall, and stepped down the stone dais and onto the soft grass. My bare feet sang as I felt the cool earth beneath them, and a sudden spark of inspiration hit me. I had a message to be delivered to Aro and the Volturi, and I needed the full impact of shock and awe at my disposal.

I stopped when I was directly in front of them, and despite their futile struggling, they couldn't reach me. I tsked, watching their mouths drop open as I called the elements to my side. I felt the surprise and intrigue of my people surrounding us, but my focus was entirely on the two vamps.

"You tell Aro that I didn't enjoy the audience he granted me," I said, my voice laced with the iciness of Winter magic. The ground beneath us turned cold and unforgiving, frost crawling up my toes like a soothing ice soak. Knowing that the vampires were impervious to the elements, I made sure that the frost was doused with extra Glamour, so that they _could_ feel the ice crystalizing along their limbs. "Tell him that as the Princess of the Fey, I should have been dealt with more respect." My voice breathed the first breath of Spring, melting the frost so that new life could take root. I smiled as I felt Felix and Demetri's heartbeats falter, for new life equaled death to them.

"Return to your masters and tell them that the Fey are not to be trifled with." The scorching heat of the desert Summer sun burst around us, warming my skin and crackling their petrified facades, until they hissed and began to scream in agony. I absorbed the Glamour around me, sending it into a whirlwind of magic and life and power, until I was at the very eye of a tornado, hovering several feet off the ground and I brought it into me, around me, onto me, until I was completely clothed in it. Then, the winds died down, my feet touched the ground, and the crispness of Autumn cooled around us. The vampires stared at me in fear and wonder, a brief reprieve granted from my magic.

No longer was I in tattered work out gear, my hair haphazardly braided with a piece of twine. Now, I was fully garbed as a Warrior Fey Princess, in all her glory. I wore a pair of silk breeches, tapered to my figure, made of molten gold and silver; a satin blouse of ice blue with slit, billowing sleeves and a deep v-neckline, highlighting the pulsing diamond amulet at the hollow of my throat. Cinched around my torso was an old fashioned corset made of soft, durable dragon hide leather, reinforced with_ muileata_, like the armor of the warriors around me, the color of the rich earth at springtime and silver lights of winter. A belt of gold mounted emeralds and sapphires, just as large and beautiful as the stones surrounding my amulet, was slung around my hips, with two identical dragon-hide sheaths carrying twin dragon-glass daggers. The breeches ended at my knees, and my feet and calves were left bare, except for the gold and silver laces that criss-crossed up like gladiator's sandals.

Platinum and bejeweled bangles made music around my ankles and wrists, and a dripping platinum circlet, complete with diamonds, emeralds and sapphires, encircled my head. My raven like hair had grown several inches, so that it hung in long, loose waves passed my waist and hips, strands randomly braided with vines, flowers, herbs and the like. A velvet cloak of the lightest material rested upon my shoulders, a deep emerald green in color, with a silver clasp at the shoulder. My ears, pointed and on display for all to see, were decorated all the way up, every earring a different metal or gem, each holding significance over the variety of Fey I would one day rule over. I felt the shock and fear that Felix and Demetri were experiencing, and smiled, baring my teeth at them.

"Tell Aro and Caius and Marcus, that if they continue to hunt and hurt and _kill_ my people," I spoke, my voice a more powerful shadow of its former self. "That they will face the extinction of the entire vampire race."

"And how do you propose to accomplish such a task?" Demetri hissed through clenched teeth. I quirked my head, taking in a new idea. With a flourish of my fingers, I unsheathed one of the daggers at my hip, marveling at its perfect weight and length, as long as my forearm. The dragon-glass glinted first red, then gold, then white, and finally green, and I realized that my blades had been forged in the fires of each of the Guardians.

I looked to the two vampires, and judging which one would prove to be the greater threat in the long term, made my decision.

"Like this," I said, spinning faster than I ever had and striking out like a cobra with my blade, sinking it to the hilt inside Demetri's chest, where his non-beating heart was located. His eyes froze in shock, and I ignored the howl of outrage from Felix as he doubled his efforts to get to me. I could feel the Glamour of the Guardians' fire shoot into the Volturi guard, and saw that as it raced through his body, it singed and set fire to it, until Demetri burst into a cloud of glittering ash and smoke and dust.

I straightened, sheathing the blade, and turned to Felix, who thrashed and growled and sobbed without tears. My Fey side allowed me no pity, not for this soulless creature who had killed and tortured hundreds of victims, both Fey and human. I hardened toward this broken, pitiful thing before me.

I strode and knelt before Felix, forcing his jaw shut with a wave of my hand and a bit of Winter Glamour. "I believe I answered his question as to the '_how'_," I said, speaking gently, as I would to a frightened animal. "Now, go."

With another wave of my hand, the Glamour keeping Felix kneeling and powerless was lifted, and he was transported back into Volterra on the Summer wind, where I knew he would deliver my message to Aro and his brothers.

I rose, turning on my heel and striding up the stone dais to sit in the wooden throne my people had erected. The moment I sat, the cheers of thousands of Fey warriors ringing the air, dragon-glass blades clanging against shields and armor, took to the air. Beside me, Cahir and Lachlan remained emotionless, standing at my shoulders as faithful _caomhnóirs_. Sansai smiled, a true smile for the first time, displaying her pride and belief in my abilities.

When the cheering died down, I relaxed my shoulders, my human side coming forth once more. Wearily, I watched the full moon's light, anxious about the course of action I had to take.

"Aro knows what happened to my mother," I said quietly, feeling Lachlan stiffen at my side. "No matter what happens, I want him kept alive so that he can be questioned. I'll do it myself if I must."

"You don't have to, Lorelai," Cahir argued. "The King-"

"Is old and dying," Sansai finished sadly, with none of her usual bite and vehemence. "A hundred years ago, he would have been heading this army himself. Now, he can barely walk to the throne room without assistance. He will be no match, physically or mentally, for this King of Vampires."

"As I said," I repeated. "I will take care of him."

Suddenly, a sentry came flitting down from the trees, hastily bowing and speaking much too quickly for me to hear everything at once.

"…the Natives have not appeared yet, Commanders, though it is past their time to do so, and we fear that the plan has gone awry somehow, and it is the joint belief of the sentries, Commanders, that we make our moves without the clearance of the wolves and their allies…"

"Enough!" Cahir shouted, sending the sentry scurrying backwards several feet.

My world had frozen. Instead of looking at the sentry, who I knew was only a lackey under orders, I turned to Cahir, Lachlan and Sansai, my trusted advisors, each with an identical expression of fear and defeat. They all looked like they'd been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"What does he mean by 'Natives' and 'wolves' and 'gone awry'?" I asked, my voice flat and void of emotion. In the distance, a deep crackling of angry thunder rolled across the countryside, white hot flashes of lightning piercing through the night.

Cahir sighed. "When you were taken, Seth insisted that he come along to rescue you from the Volturi. The Cullens agreed to help."

I looked at him with cold eyes, and saw that the blue and green of my own eyes pulsed a neon poisonous color, like exotic venom, in the reflection of his gaze. My amulet throbbed in time with my racing heart. "And yet, I did not need rescuing."

"No, _banphrionsa_, you did not," Cahir did not waver in his direct gaze, and distantly, I acknowledged a respect for that. But I was too furious, too consumed with a cold, deadly rage, to allow that respect to come forth.

"And when, perchance, were you going to fucking tell me that my _anam-maité_ was locked inside the Vampire palace without a reason to be inside?"

All of their faces paled at the Gaelic term I used, and I watched as Sansai flashed her eyes down to the ring she wore on her finger, sorrow etched onto her face. Cahir dropped to his knees, head bowed in misery.

I rose up, unclasping the cloak from around my shoulders and letting it fall to the wooden throne that now felt hollow. Turning away from the triad behind me, I faced my troops, all ounces of my humanity slipping away. Speaking in the Ancient Language, I addressed the masses.

"For too long have the vampires terrorized us. Our friends, our family, all have lived only half lives under the fear and the tyranny of these monstrous creatures. Tonight, this fear ends!" Cheers echoed throughout the forest, and the wind began to howl. I thought of my mother, who may or may not be clinging to the last string of hope and of life; of my father, whose life was cut short when my mother was taken away from him. I thought of Rachel and her babies, of the packs and the Cullens and the families that they had worked so hard to preserve and protect from harm. I thought of the hundreds of thousands of Fey I would one day lead, of those who had perished before us, and those who would perish tonight.

And I thought of Seth. Of sweet, generous, loving, beautiful Seth, who was my guiding light and my love. I knew that from this day forward, I would struggle between my Fey and humanity, that I would need to work to balance the two sides into a working harmony in order to be successful. But I also knew that Seth was the key to that balance, that without him, my humanity would fade until it existed no longer, and I was nothing but full, cold blooded Fey.

I had never felt closer to my mother than I did in that moment. I knew, then, why she had run away and hidden with my father. Because _he_ was her humanity, all that was good and light and wonderful in this world. And when I was born, I became the physical manifestation of that coexistence, of that love and natural goodness that can be found in most every human being. It's why she fought so hard to stay with us. It's why she was still fighting, twenty years later.

"Within the walls of Volterra, there lies no natural living thing. No earth or plant, no stone infused with the giving of life. Every single one of you, take something from this forest and infuse it with your Glamour, and hide it away on your person, so that you have an unlimited source of power. Do not be hesitant; if you hesitate, they will not pause to kill you. Many possess special gifts which make them more dangerous than most. Protect both your minds and your bodies with your Glamour, and you shall never know fear from them. This I promise you."

More cheers, and hollerings and the clashings of blades. "No vampire with eyes of gold will be harmed, for they are our allies. Neither shall the wolves. I, accompanied by a hand chosen few, shall enter the palace first, in hopes of extracting the wolves and golden ones. On my signal, we siege the palace and end this nightmare."

Calling on my Glamour, twenty-one names rose to my lips, and I called them out with all the confidence of a general, of a princess, of a Queen. Each Fey I summoned stepped up to the foot of the dais, kneeling with bowed heads. Males and Females, dressed in armor and equipped with dragon-glass blades, all of whom I inherently knew were among the best of my army.

Lastly, I called on Sansai, Cahir and Lachlan, who took their places beside my other kneeling warriors. As furious as I was at them for putting Seth and the packs in danger, I knew that they were among the best, and I would not jeopardize the fate of my people based off of my own feelings.

"Let's go."

With a pouch of fresh earth hanging from my neck, hidden beneath my corset and tunic, I called upon my Glamour to make me silent, swift and unseen. One by one, the Fey of my hand picked special-ops team did the same, so that we all had disappeared from sight. We could still see one another, but to the outside world, we were nothing but air and shadows.

We crept through the tunnels from the abandoned, ancient Church, moving at the speed of light until we stood outside the massive doors of the presentation chamber. I placed my hands upon the wood, infusing it with new life and Glamour so that one by one, my Fey could melt through it as if it were nothing but an illusion. When I was the last one standing, I too stepped through the door and into the antechamber.

Noting the beamed rafters above, the twenty-five of us leapt the fifty feet up, swinging up and onto the beams like silent acrobats. From this spot, we were given the best vantage point for observation, and Cahir and Lachlan quickly dispensed of a strategy.

The wolves, I realized, were standing at the ready, corralling the Volturi like a herd of black-cloaked demon sheep. Edward and Bella Cullen, with Jasper and Alice, stood in the center of the antechamber, staring mutely as Aro, who was trembling slightly, clasping palms with a tormented Felix. I saw Edward quickly explaining what he saw Aro witnessing to the others, and knew that they, at least, knew that I was safe. Of the wolves I spied Jacob, Quil and Embry, Paul and Jared, who must've been representing Sam's pack, and lastly, right in the center of it all, my golden wolf.

_Seth_, I internally sighed, my fingers itching to run through the rough-softness of his pelt. My amulet flared once in recognition. And, fifty feet down below, I watched as Seth's ears twitched, as if he had heard me.

Hope suddenly blazed through me, and I channeled my Glamour into this singular task. I knew that the wolves could communicate telepathically through their pack links. Maybe the link between Seth and me, whatever it was that had made me his imprint, could be used the same way.

Focusing eyes onto him, I tried to visualize my thoughts being projected through a tangible thread, connecting me to him.

_Seth, it's me_.

His ears flattened against his skull, and he shook his head. I tried harder.

_Seth, you aren't going crazy_, I thought. _I'm really speaking to you._

Seth shook his head again, dipping his nose to the stone floor and smacking a paw against his snout. Aro, so consumed by Felix's vision of me, didn't notice, and neither did the other vampires. But I could hear the packs shifting anxiously, and knew that the Cullens were just as confused and concerned.

_Seth, please!_ I mentally shouted, tears springing to my eyes. _I love you!_

Seth froze, straightening to his full height, his ears perking forward.

_**Lorelai? Is that you?!**_

His voice was like music to my ears, and a sob broke through my throat. The Fey around me went silent, and I was glad that my Glamour was working more effectively than before. No one else below even flinched.

_Seth, it's me, I swear it._

_**Where are you? Tell me, and I'll tear this place apart to find you!**_

_No, Seth, I need you to leave this place! Leave, now!_

Below, Seth growled, making several vampires jump back in fear.

_**I am **_**not**_** leaving without you.**_

Frustrated at him, I turned to Jacob, channeling my thoughts to what I hoped was his frequency.

_Jacob, if you can hear me, make no other movement but to nod your head once._

The reddish-brown wolf stiffened slightly, his eyes narrowing, but he nodded firmly, a single time.

_You need to get your pack out of here, now. I've got a legion of Fey coming down here to blow the roof off of this place, and I don't want to have to worry about you all getting in the mix._

He growled in protest, sending more vampires scurrying away like frightened rats.

_I know you can handle yourselves, dammit! But this is NOT YOUR FIGHT! Now get them OUT of here!_

Jacob winced, his ears flattening, but he nodded, and I watched in fascination as the other wolves received the message, ears flickering and tails thumping. He must've told Edward, because now the Cullens were edging back towards the door, eyes on the vampires who were unaware of anything around them. The wolves began prowling, but the Volturi were too consumed with fear to see that they weren't prowling against them; they were all heading to the door.

Except for one very stupid, moronic, stubborn golden wolf, who laid down flat on his stomach refusing to move. I saw Jacob take a step towards him, his fur bristling, but I cut him off.

_Jake, I'll take care of Seth. Just get yourself and the Cullens out of here._

_Take care of him, Lorelai_, Jacob said, his voice a deep hum in my mind. _He is Pack__._

I mentally sent him a nod of understanding, and watched as one by one, the wolves and the Cullens slipped out the doors, seemingly undetected.

I turned back to my Fey warriors, giving them the details of my plan. Cahir and Lachlan argued, but I was in no mood to hear their opinions, so with a toss of my hair, I dove off of the beam, somersaulting several times in mid-air, before landing lightly in a crouch, on the balls of my feet. Straightening, I walked over to Seth, angrily un-Glamouring myself from his view, and his view only.

He lurched to his feet, his brown eyes widening at the sight of me, and I watched his wolf form begin to shutter as the Shift came over him. Quickly, I hid him from sight, enveloping him in my Glamour, and then went a step further and hid us both from the eyes of my Fey above. For the moment, we were completely invisible, except for each other.

Seth stood before me, one hundred percent human, and I gazed at him hungrily. His russet colored skin, black hair and chocolate eyes, which took every inch of me in, just as I was doing to him. I opened my mouth to speak and suddenly found myself in his arms, his intense heat searing into my skin like a brand. My arms wrapped tightly around his waist, my fingers digging into his feverish skin, and I breathed in that intoxicating cinnamon, sea spray and juniper wood that was Seth. I pressed my lips to his chest, kissing a haphazard pattern across it as his deft fingers combed through the long strands of my Fey hair.

A low growl rumbled from his chest, vibrating into me, and I felt his hot fingers cup my face, tilting my head back so that he could look into my eyes. His thumbs brushed the entire length of my pointed ears, and I cast my eyes downward, worried about how he would react.

"No," he growled, his voice neither man nor wolf, but somewhere in between. "You are beautiful. Don't look away from me, when I have been starved of you for too long."

I met his gaze once more, entranced by the swirling amber and gold of his eyes. My hands traced up his ribs, starving for his skin. I leaned my body into his, unwilling to resist the siren's call. Seth's eyes darkened, his hands tightened in my hair, and his mouth came crashing onto mine, with all of the love and fear and hope and passion and lust he possessed. His tongue brushed against mine and an inferno was lit inside me, so that I kissed him back with everything else I had. Our tongues tangled and his lips were like my own brand of candy, and I was finding myself to be rougher, more consuming in this heat of ours. I pulled his lip between my teeth and found myself on my back, my limbs wrapped around him like I couldn't get close enough to him.

Seth's lips broke from mine, trailing searing kisses down my jaw and neck, pausing at the valley of my breasts before his tongue snaked out to lick my skin. My back arched, my hands burrowing into his hair to keep his head to my body. His fingers skimmed the laces of my corset, delving beneath the material until he found my skin, and he grabbed at it, pulling my hips to his at the same time he recaptured my mouth with his own. I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him deeply, unwilling to remove myself from him.

A splash of icy cold Glamour came rushing over me and I gasped, leaping away from Seth, who lunged to his feet to reach for me. I turned my back on him, breathing through the ice running through my veins, stiffening when he came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my neck. I was tempted to let him continue, but another splash of ice forced me to distance myself, and to force some sanity back into Seth and me.

"Stop, Seth," I said, my voice hoarse. Seth froze, his eyes confused and hurt. I reached out for him, placing my palm on his cheek and sighing when his hand covered my own. "Now is not the time."

He sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know what came over me," he murmured, a red blush staining his cheeks.

"The same thing that came over me," I told him, smiling. "But for right now, we have bigger fish to fry than our hormones."

He growled in agreement, stepping closer to me. "I'm not leaving without you. If you stay, so do I."

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "I had a feeling you would say that. Shift back, so that we can get this over with."

He grinned, giving me a brief kiss, before shifting back into the giant golden wolf. Grinning, I turned back to the Volturi, who had finally noticed the absence of the Cullens and the wolves, and were in a confused uproar.

"Be patient, my dears," Aro called out, with a smile. "Obviously, our guests had realized the folly of their ways and have left us in fear of retaliation. Which they should greatly fear. I have been merciful in the past, but no longer."

Quiet murmurs of agreement filled the air, and I watched, fascinated and sickened, as they all gathered around Aro like hummingbirds to nectar. "And as for this powerful illusion which Felix was the unfortunate target of, I say to you, my pets, that these Fair Folk are no threat to us. They posture, my children, nothing more."

Relief surged through the crowd, and I knew that my time was right. Motioning for my Fey to move into position, I watched as the silently stood the perimeter, ready at my command. Sansai winked at me, and I knew that she had been the one to break me and Seth apart. I grinned unabashedly at her. Taking stock of my small group, I sent the signal, a single massive call of Glamour, straight through the roof, with enough potency that any Fey within one hundred miles would know the battle cry. Grinning, I strolled through the vampiric mass, warning Seth to stay where he was, until I was directly behind Aro.

Or, I should clarify, Aro's personal shield, Renata. Still hidden, I sent my Glamour out to render her talent useless, and only when that was accomplished did I lift the Glamour off of Seth and myself so that outraged hisses took to the air.

"Oh, no, Aro," I said, the power of my magic making my voice echo through the antechamber. Aro whirled around, shock and fear plain on his face. "It is _you _who should greatly fear, and it is _you_ who merely posture."

As fast and deadly as a strike of lightning, I unsheathed both of my blades, spinning and slicing into Renata so that her head was separated from her torso, and her torso was separated from her legs. Her entire being vanished into nothing but sparkling soot and ash before the pieces could even touch the ground.

Horrified screams and hisses took to the air, and for the first time, in a long time, they weren't human screams. They were the screams of the Volturi. The predators had become the prey. I tsked at Aro, who shuffled backwards in terror. "You didn't take my advice Aro. A shame, really, for one as knowledgeable as yourself, you should have seen the threat that I am when you had the chance. Now, you will all die. You, and your little _pets_."

Around us, my Fey warriors un-Glamoured themselves, and with a battle cry, began to attack in earnest. I smiled, cold and deadly.

And that's when the chaos really began.

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